Murder changes us all
by dalek260
Summary: AU Ron kills Hermione in cold blood when he discovers her relationship with Fred and leaves with Harry on the horcrux hunt. What will happen when Hermione returns from the dead?
1. Murder

Hermione could not believe what she had just done. Her parents had always been there for her. They were the only people who had never shunned her, always trying to protect her and now she wasn't sure if she would ever see them again. It had seemed like such an easy task, one little spell then it would all be over. Hermione had not counted on her grief afterwards. She knew that she had to toughen up; that war was filled with sacrifices but she wished that it did not have to be this way. She gazed around her dimly lit room, shaking herself mentally. It was mostly empty by now apart from her bed, wardrobe and small writing desk. She had nearly everything packed by now but she was finding it difficult to say goodbye to her childhood home. Hermione looked at the few items that she could not face to put in her small beaded bag, the photographs that showed the only signs that a person had lived in her room. They were the last things that she wanted to put away, knowing that once she did she could never go back. She felt a comforting arm around her shoulder and relaxed for a second, then, coming to her senses she whirled around, drawing her wand as she did so. Ron Weasley looked at her fierce expression in shock, going cross-eyed as he stared at the wand that was pointed directly at his face.

"What was the comment I made on your appearance when we first met on the Hogwarts express?" She said slowly, looking him up and down.

"That I had dirt on my nose." Said Ron, smirking slightly at the memory, he remember how bossy she had been, very different from the Hermione he knew and loved. Hermione lowered her wand breathing heavily and Ron sighed in relief. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of one of Hermione's curses. He looked her up and down, noting her tear streaked face and her puffy eyes.

"Did you do it then?" He asked sympathetically. She nodded turning away not wanting him to see her so emotional.

"They left ten minutes ago. I was just finishing packing." She wiped her eyes sniffing. Ron offered his tissue, which she accepted gratefully despite it being crumpled and torn slightly.

"Looks like it's just a couple of photos left to pack. Hey, I remember that one. And that's when we won the Quidditch cup, oh and Dumbledore's Army…" He ran around looking at all of the memories that lined her cream walls. Hermione smiled slightly, happy that she had a friend to comfort her. "Hermione what's this one?" He asked looking round suddenly, confusion evident. "I didn't know you were friends with the twins." She glanced at the photo in his hands that had been taken on her sixteenth birthday of Fred, George and herself laughing at the camera. She smiled slightly as she saw the stupid feathery hat they had made her wear that turned her hair blue the next morning. Then she thought about Ron. He had forgotten all about her birthday that year, spending the day snogging Lavender Brown in secluded corridors rather than celebrating with her. He had given her a present but that was in December, not what you'd expect a friend to do but she had not pressed him. She recalled all of the other times where she had worked so hard to help Ron without so much as a thank you. This was the last straw and Hermione looked up at him, annoyed. Hermione was astonished that Ron had not noticed her friendship with his brothers especially as she had been dating Fred for the past few months. She had been friends with Fred and George since Ron had ruined her time at the Yule Ball. She could remember it well:

* * *

Hermione sat on the stairs leading to the Great Hall watching all of the happy couples ascending the stairs behind her or exiting through the double doors, desperately wishing that she could be among them. Viktor had seemed so wonderful but now she was not so sure. Ron had already planted the seed of doubt in her brain and the irrational part of her mind had started wondering if she should be with Viktor. Ron had ruined her entire evening due to his jealousy. Hermione started to get angry. 'What was it with boys?' She thought as she buried her face in her hands and cried silently. Suddenly she felt two arms around her shoulders and she looked up.

"Fred, George, what are you doing here?" she asked quizzically looking at the identical boys that sat either side her. She quickly wiped her face with a lace handkerchief trying to make it seem like she had not been crying her eyes out for the last hour.

"More importantly why is the girl that captured the heart of one of the most famous seekers alive sitting here crying?" She stared at the two of them confused, thinking of Harry. Then the full force of what had happened that evening with Viktor and Ron hit her and she had to fight to choke back the tears.

"Ron" she said simply, hoping that it would be a good enough explanation for them.

"Ah" said Fred, understanding perfectly. He knew what a prat he could be at the best of times but when it came to Hermione Ron always managed to royally screw up.

"What has our sad excuse of a brother done this time?" asked George. The entrance hall had mostly cleared by now with only a few stragglers remaining. Hermione was confused as to why they were there. They had never normally spoken to her, preferring the company of more popular people but was glad they were there for her. Hermione spent the next hour explaining her situation and the twins spent the next two consoling her. It was the early hours of the morning when they reached Gryffindor tower to go to bed. Her room mates had been eager to question her the next morning as to why she returned at sunrise but when she mentioned crying over Ron they backed off. Lavender and Parvati may have been insensitive at times but they knew when to stop asking questions. After that Fred, George and Hermione became better friends, she even helped them with some of their products. Not many people suspected that Hermione's threats in fifth year were just a sham so the clients couldn't see her name on the label. She was always lenient on them if she discovered them during her rounds as a prefect and helped them set up the swamp when they escaped Umbridge's rein of terror. After that the twins sneaked into the school to see her, helping Hermione pull off anonymous pranks. It was on the first of May, after Harry and Ginny had run off snogging that Fred plucked up the courage to ask her out. She accepted at once, amazed that the bookworm had managed to get the hottest boy Hogwarts had ever seen. George had never been romantically involved with Hermione, preferring the chaser Katie Bell, though they were still best friends. Hermione had gone to visit Katie with George in St. Mungos after she had touched the cursed necklace. Harry had spotted their friendship from the off and been the first to congratulate her when Fred had asked her to go out with him. He had even helped Hermione choose the twins Christmas presents in sixth year when she had struggled to find something to beat last years. She had tried to ask Ron for help but he was busy being glued to Lavender Browns lips. Even though she did not approve of Ron's choice in women, she was happy that he had found someone to keep him happy (though even that ended in disaster). Those were the best years of Hermione's life and now she was wondering how she would live without the twins by her side. How Ron didn't notice her friendship she could not fathom. After all he was supposed to be her best friend.

* * *

Ron stood impatiently in front of her holding up some of the pictures that had taken from above her bed. Hermione stood up, irritated at Ron's tone of voice.

"For your information Ronald they have been two of my closest friends since forth year." Ron clenched his fist, screwing up the photos in the process but did not say anything so Hermione continued "Also I have been Fred's girlfriend for the last three months." Ron gaped at her for a few seconds then his face contorted in rage. He dropped the pictures and took a step towards her but she stood her ground.

"No!" he shouted making Hermione step backwards in shock. She had expected him to be a little angry but this was a full blown Weasley temper. "That bastard, of course it would be Fred, it's always Fred. You were supposed to be with me, me, and no one else. We were destined to be together, everyone knows that. How could you betray me like this?"

"Excuse me?" said Hermione, her voice level but quivering with fury. "I betrayed you, is that what you think? If it weren't for you then I would never have become such good friends with the twins. It was because of your behaviour at the Yule ball that they spoke to me at all. You've got yourself to blame Ron. We are not meant to be, we never were. Fred and I are happy together so don't blow this out of proportion like you usually do."

"Blow this out of proportion. How dare you?" He spluttered, grabbing her arm forcefully. She struggled but found he was stronger than her. Hermione winced in pain as she felt the palm of her hand collide with Ron's face that was bellowing incoherent threats and insults at her. He stumbled backwards into her open wardrobe and she locked it with a flick of her wand. Hastily Hermione picked up all the remaining photos in her bedroom looking sadly at the memories that lay crumpled on the floor. She stuffed them inside her small beaded bag along with her wand and jacket and put the bag inside her coat pocket. It was just as she neared her bedroom door that her wardrobe door exploded.

Ron Weasley stepped out of the rubble, dusting off his robes. Hermione saw the manic look in his eye before she noticed the wand pointed directly at her chest. She stumbled backwards edging away from the madman that had replaced her best friend. She tried to reach for the beaded bag but knew that she would not find her wand in time so she yelled trying to stall him.

"Ron what are you doing? It's not funny. Just because I have a boyfriend does not mean we can't be friends." She had reached her bedroom wall, desperately looking for an escape route but knew that she could not get out without Ron cursing her into oblivion. She had forgotten rule number one – always keep your wand at your side in case of an attack. How could she have been so foolish?

"If you and Fred want to destroy my life then that's fine, just remember that you brought this on yourself. Avada Kedavra" He said slowly and clearly. She had barely opened her mouth to retort, to plead before the jet of green light hit her square in the chest. She stayed standing for a few seconds haloed by an eerie green glow, swaying slightly before she crumpled to the floor and moved no more.

**Let me know what you guys think****, all reviews are accepted and constructive criticism appreciated. How do you think I did in my first fanfic?**

**Please review**


	2. Discovery

For a few seconds Ron just stood staring at the body of his best friend not believing what he had just done. She had been his friend, always by his side when he had needed help. Well, needed homework done for him more like. What had she really done other than do my schoolwork? He thought. 'Not a lot'. His irrational mind failed to remind him of the many occasions that Hermione had saved his life and others close to him. The more he thought about it the more it made sense. She didn't mean anything to him anymore, not after she had broken his heart. She had discarded him for his better looking brother, ignored her destiny. For that she deserved to die. Everyone knew that Hermione was meant to marry him while Harry would get Ginny. If she wouldn't love him then she wouldn't live. Ron knew exactly what to do. He would make it seem as if the death eaters had come to call.

He walked over to Hermione's lifeless form and reached into her coat pocket. Drawing out the beaded bag he began rummaging around inside before he found her wand. Returning the bag he took her cold fingers and placed the wand in her right hand. Then he went over to the remains of her wardrobe. He turned over a part of the door that had a mirror on it and rubbed his face in an attempt to make it look like he had been crying. It was a shoddy job but he thought he could get away with it. He left the room and dashed down the stairs two at a time. Opening the front door he looked down the road, making sure that no one was around. It occurred to Ron at this moment how clear everything was to him. How he could make it seem like she had been killed by the enemy rather than her best friend. All he needed was the dark mark that was all to convince his gullible family that it had been them. He stepped out onto the immaculate lawn that was mostly obscured to the outside world by a hedge covered in small yellow flowers but there was a small gap with which passers-by might see him. Fortunately there was no one around apart from a small figure walking down the pavement in the opposite direction; an old woman carrying her shopping. Nearly all of the neighbours appeared to have retreated into their homes to enjoy the bright summer's day in comfort. After the little old lady had disappeared out of sight down the road he acted. Facing towards the house Ron raised his wand and shouted to the heavens.

"Morsmordre" A blinding green light flared into the blue sky that was immediately replaced by clouds that twisted and merged to form the now familiar luminous green skull, the dark mark. It hovered above the house like a ghost, the snake winding around the skull, occasionally sticking out its forked tongue. Ron admired his handy work for a minute before shaking his head. He had to get them out of here before the muggles started to investigate. Using his wand he wrenched the front door off of its hinges and ran upstairs. He reached Hermione's room just as the first curious voices from the garden reached his ears. Peering out of the window he saw a crowd of curious onlookers beginning to form where the front door had once hung. One of the men moved forward and the rest surged into the house. Raised voices reached Ron's ears, panicking him. He had intended on inflicting more damage on the house but he realised there was no time to spare. Grabbing her lifeless form he apparated out of the house just as the bedroom door opened and a concerned face peeked through.

Feeling like he was being squeezed through a tight tube Ron hung onto the lifeless body that was threatening to slip out of his fingers. Apparition had never been so difficult and he was fighting hard to ensure that neither of them splinched. After a couple of seconds he felt the sensation leave and was glad to see that Hermione was lying beside him in the overgrown garden that he recognised immediately. Several gnomes were scurrying over the grass, knocking over plant pots and generally being a nuisance. Ron could see his mother through the Burrows kitchen window stirring a pot of stew and chatting to some people he could not see. He struggled to his feet, breathing heavily. After a minute he caught his breath and bent over Hermione's body. He lifted her up bridal style and staggered along the path that led towards the back door.

"Someone help me!" Ron yelled at his childhood home, hoping that he could be heard over the hustle and bustle of dinner. Several curious faces appeared at the window then someone screamed. Mrs Weasley flung open the door and stood there with her hand on the doorframe. She was as white as one of the Hogwarts ghosts and holding a ladle in one of her shaking hands. Ron staggered forward, struggling to support Hermione's weight. Harry and Lupin ducked under Mrs Weasley's arm and help Ron manage the last few metres. Everyone who was sat at the table immediately stood up as the body was carried in. Harry lay her down on the table gently, tears coursing down his face. Ron felt sorry for his friend. He had wanted to make Fred suffer but he had no grudge against the rest of his family and friends, thought deep down he was glad that they could all feel the pain he had experienced when Hermione had uttered those dreadful words of rejection. Footsteps could be heard all around them, some dashing down the stairs others hurrying out of the living room. Soon the whole household were crammed into the tiny kitchen though to Ron's disappointment the twins were not there. Apparently they were still at the shop for he could not see his normally jovial brothers. A curtain of red hair could be seen in the door attempting to get pat the order members who were trying to prevent her from entering. Ginny pushed past them and through the crowd, her mane of red hair dancing as she attempted to reach Hermione's corpse. When she got to the dining table she let out a cry of sorrow hugging Harry tightly and sobbing into his shoulder. Kingsley ushered the shocked Weasley's into the living room and quickly examined her body, waving his wand over her and whispering. After a minute he returned. His face was grim.

"I'm afraid Hermione was hit by the killing curse." He said to the room at large followed by gasps of shock "There is no chance that she could have survived." Harry stood up.

"I did, maybe she did to. There must be a way to save here." He said in a choked voice. He stood for a second then slumped to the floor. "She can't be dead, she just can't."

"I'm afraid she must be. There is no counter-curse to that spell as I'm sure you all know." The room was left in silence, the only noise being the sound of Ginny's sobs. Mr and Mrs Weasley hugged each other on the small sofa while Ginny just sat on the floor, her head on her knees, staring out of the window. Harry put his arm around her shoulder as the tears continued to fall from his emerald eyes. Bill and Charlie, who did not know Hermione that well, sat on a couple of armchairs looking forlorn. They may not have known much about her but they still regarded her as a sister as did all of the Weasley clan. Ron just stood in the corner, fake tears making their way down his dirt smudged face as he watch his family mourn the death of their friend. After a few minutes of silence Kingsley questioned Ron as to exactly what had happened.

"Well." He said, sniffing and wiping his eyes "She was going to modify her parent's memories today so I thought she might need the moral support. I didn't tell you guys because you might say no and I thought she could do with a friend. But when I arrived… well, the door was kicked in and there was the mark, his mark, right above the house. I thought she might have got out, I mean you've seen her duel, but I went into her room and the wardrobe was blown apart... I suppose they took her by surprise, but she was just lying on the floor all cold. I didn't know what to do, loads of muggles were coming to take a look by then so I apparated back here. Kingsley, is there no chance that she could be still alive?" Kingsley gave him a pitying look.

"No Ron, she's gone. No one could have survived that curse." This brought about fresh howls from Mrs Weasley. Kingsley walked towards the living room door. "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. I must inform the others." Without another word he left. Ginny looked up at the sound, her face blotchy and murmured something so quiet no one could hear.

"What is it Ginny?" asked Harry, concerned over his girlfriend.

"Fred and Gorge, they should be told." Ginny said softly "They were so close to Hermione, and Fred was her boyfriend. He has to know" Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement. Charlie stood up.

"I'll go." Without waiting for a reply to his statement he twisted and disappeared with a loud crack. Within seconds he had reappeared accompanied by the twins dressed in their magenta work robes. Their faces were white and their expression desperate. They tore away from Charlie and ran into the kitchen. Two yells of shock rang through the house followed by a noise that had not been heard for many years; a Weasley twin crying. Ginny ran through to meet them followed by Harry Ron and Bill. Charlie walked over to his parents who were bawling on the sofa and started to try to sooth them. Ginny walked through the door to see Fred draped across Hermione's lifeless body sobbing as George stroked her brown curls.

"She's gone. No, Hermione, you can't be dead. Please wake up." George yelled hoping it was just a cruel joke. But soon he realised that this was real, this was war. He walked over and placed his arm on his twin, attempting to comfort his twin and other half.

"I love you. I was going to tell you today, and now you'll never know." Fred muttered as if he hoped that Hermione could hear his voice. Ginny had never seen the two of them in such a state. Fred and George were renowned for being the ones who could bring laughter and happiness into even the direst of situations but now they felt nothing but sorrow for the girl who had become a part of their lives. They had never admitted it but Hermione had become so close to them that it was almost like having a third twin. Losing her was like George losing Fred; they felt incomplete, like a part of them had been destroyed. They mourned for their lost friend, sister and honorary twin.

**Wow I've updated faster than I thought. Please review**


	3. Realisation

**_Thank you everyone who has reviewed my last couple of chapters and who has added it too their favourites. Bit of a long chapter coming up but I thought I couldn't write this without doing the funeral. I promise there will be more action in later chapters._**

Hermione Granger was to be buried in the Burrow's back garden the following day; on her favourite reading spot by the lake. Fred had difficulty looking out of his window when he woke up that morning. He stood by the window in the small room he shared with his twin, recalling all of the times he had spent there with his girlfriend in the shade of a large cherry tree, watching the blossom fall. It was there that they had come up with the skiving snackboxes in fifth year, there that they had camped under the stars with George one summers evening, there that they had shared their first kiss. Back in those carefree days that he thought would last forever but now they were gone, just like his girlfriend. It was just a memory now. The grave had been dug the day before, a gaping hole that looked out of place in the stunning yet wild beauty of the Burrow's grounds. A large marble headstone could be seen glowing pearly white in the morning sunlight with blue ripples streaking across from the water's reflection. The sight of it brought tears to Fred's eyes as he thought about the events that were soon to come. Looking around his room he saw that George was still asleep, snoring slightly. He checked his alarm clock hoping that George would not be awake any time soon, he felt like he needed some time to think. It was nearly eight o'clock and the funeral would start in a couple of hour's time. Stretching where he stood he began to tiptoe towards the door on the familiar yet convoluted route that avoided all of the creaky floorboards and piles of merchandise that littered the floor. He slipped onto the landing, shutting the door quickly behind him and sighed. The intoxicating smell of his mother's cooking was already wafting from the kitchen and the sound of sombre voices could be heard from the ground floor. Fred stood, contemplating what to do. He did not feel like talking to George about his feelings then again he did not want to go downstairs and face all of the mourners. Reaching his decision, Fred made his way up two staircases on the way to the bathroom they shared with the other people who were currently staying in the house, hoping to clear his head. As he neared the door he heard muffled sobs coming from inside. Fred was slightly uncertain on what to do. The door was adjar but he didn't want to intrude on someone who was upset but then again he remembered how much he had wanted someone to talk to about his feelings.

"Hello?" he called softly as he opened the unlocked door slowly "Are you OK?" Harry was standing by the sink crying softly, tears dripping off of his nose and into the small basin. He was still in his Gryffindor pyjamas and his hair was messy. Well more than usual that is. His glasses stood lopsided on his face but he didn't seem to care. "Fred?" he asked without looking up "What did I do wrong? Why couldn't it have been me that died?" Fred went over to him and placed his arm on Harry's back in the way Bill had done when he was younger.

"It wasn't your fault she…" Fred sniffed and started again "It wasn't your fault Harry, know that. If anything it was mine. I should have been there to help but I wasn't."

"But Fred, I was her best friend; I should have gone with her. If it wasn't for me then she would never have been in any danger in the first place. If I'd never have been her friend-"

"Then Ron wouldn't have been friends with her" Fred said angrily. Harry flinch back in alarm. Fred took a deep breath and continued, his voice calm "I'd never have been her friend, none of us would. She would have had no one. Thank you Harry for giving Hermione a chance at friendship; please, I can never ever thank you enough." Harry looked at Fred's eyes with his emerald ones and saw the truth. He wiped his nose on a piece of loo roll and sniffed.

"Thanks Fred, that means a lot. It's just, well; she was such a special friend."

"One of a kind our Hermione was" said Fred, smiling at all of the memories. "Let's get some breakfast, I'm starved." Together they walked down towards the kitchen, both feeling lighter from their chat but each knowing in their hearts that how ever much they smiled they would never get over the loss of their friend. They would be able to fool the others but never themselves. Fred knew that he could never forget Hermione as long as he lived and that there would always be a space in his heart reserved for her.

* * *

The sky was a clear blue and the lake shone with a magical green glow as the congregation gathered by the lakeside, sitting on rows of ornate silver chairs that were placed in rows that went as far back as the Burrow's rear entrance. The Weasley family had their work cut out escorting all the people to their correct seats. Nearly two hundred people had turned up to including almost all of the Hogwarts staff, a huge proportion of the students and a variety of adults ranging from ministry employees to Fleur's veela cousins. All the well wishers sat at the back followed by the ministry workers and foreign visitors. The Hogwarts staff that were not members of the Order, including the house elves that were wearing small bobbled hats, sat beside the students in the middle of the congregation. They all mingled with each other, not caring about houses and breaking some of the barriers that had stood between them for centuries. The students did not care about previous squabbles that had once divided them and everyone seemed united in this time of sorrow, just how Hermione would have wanted. The Order of the Phoenix sat further towards the front with an enlarged and reinforced chair placed at the edge so as to give Hagrid more room. Right at the front of the group sat Hermione's closest companions. The entire Weasley family sat on the front row accompanied by Neville, Harry, Tonks and Lupin. Several of the seats were empty as some of the Weasley's were helping the order in directing people to their allocated seat. Naturally no Slytherins or traitors were permitted anywhere near the Burrow and everyone that had arrived had been thoroughly checked out for fear of sabotage. It was ten thirty by the time all of the guests had been ushered into their correct place and the slow funeral march began to play. The Hogwarts school orchestra, conducted by the short little wizard who used to lead the Hogwarts choir in third year, sat in the corner of a raised platform, playing the mournful tune that Fred and George always used to sing the school song to in their Hogwarts years. After the introduction to the song was played the door to the Burrow opened and the coffin was carried out. The simple wooden casket adorned with a single wreath of cherry blossom was supported by Bill, Charlie, Lupin, Fred, George and Mr Weasley all dressed in black dress robes. They walked slowly, in time to the music, along a long red carpet that was covered in rose petals that danced around their feet as they made their way towards the open grave. Hagrid started sobbing so loudly when the casket passed him that the music could not be heard until Professor McGonagall had the sense to cast a silencing charm on him. The men placed the coffin down on a large golden stage and sat back in their chairs, trying to hold back the tears. Kingsley stood up on the golden plinth and looked around at the audience.

"Today we a gathered here to remember the late Hermione Jean Granger." Said Kingsley in his deep, soothing voice that had been magically amplified so the people at the back could hear as well. "You have undoubtedly noticed that this is not an ordinary Wizarding ceremony, yet Hermione was not an ordinary girl. Her astounding powers of intellect and logic have helped her and her friends save the Wizarding world on numerous occasions, while still managing to receive top marks in every examination she sat. She was an intelligent girl, cut down in her prime by the enemy as she tried and succeeded to save her parent's lives in a selfless act of courage and love. Hermione was noble, courageous and clever, always looking out for others best interests and although she has come across as argumentative and unreasonable at times, she has always looked out for others and followed her heart, not just her head. She was a rare girl who stood up to adversity and did not care about breaking the rules if it meant helping those she loved. We were all very fortunate to have known her, and I thank you all for turning up today." Everyone applauded quietly as Kinsley finished his speech. "Hermione's closest friends will now have a few words." Kingsley left the stage to be replaced by most of the front row. Ginny, Neville, Harry and Ron, Lupin and Tonks, Mr and Mrs Weasley and Fred and George surveyed the audience awkwardly. They all looked at each other uneasily, not sure who to start.

"Goodbye Hermione" said Neville plucking up the courage to go first. He had lost a lot of weight over the last year and was now looking unrecognisable to the plump, clumsy boy who had been tormented by Snape all of his life. "Although many had given up on me over my lifetime, you never did. You were always the one who told me that I could do anything if I tried hard enough. I will never forget how much you guidance has helped me over the last few years. You helped shape me into what I am today so for that I thank you." Neville sat down, his face red and tear streaked. His grandmother could be seen in the back of the group crying, her stuffed vulture hat clearly visible over the crowd. Lupin walked forward accompanied by Tonks, who was holding his hand. Her hair was black today and fell to her shoulder in a long curtain of ebony.

"When Hermione first sat in my class in third year I would never have guessed what an incredible person I had before me. She was never selfish or greedy and regarded others above herself. Hermione helped rescue my best friend and clear his name and for that I thank her."

"Rest in peace" said Ginny stepping in front of Lupin, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "When you first came to stay at the Burrow I thought you were just a boring old bookworm but I couldn't have been more wrong" she sniffed as the tears started to fall "You were always such a good friend and I will always have so many memories. You were always so brave and I thank you for being there for me over the last few years." She smiled weakly then sat down. Mr and Mrs Weasley came forward and addressed the casket.

"You will always be our honorary daughter Hermione and the table will seem much emptier without you. You were something special and we feel privileged to have met you." said Mr Weasley as his wife sobbed into his shoulder, her red hair hiding her face. They left the stage quickly to be replaced by Harry and Ron. They came forward together looking nervous and upset. Harry's emerald eyes sparkled more than ever as the suns rays hit the tears that were forming in his eyes. Ron looked at his friend's obvious sorrow and decided it would be best to give him a second to pull himself together. He began to address the coffin using the speech that he had spent hours practicing in front of the mirror the day before.

"Hermione" said Ron, his voice quivering slightly. "When we arrived at Hogwarts I was dreading being in your house but now I can see that you are a worthier Gryffindor than I and I'll miss you" Ron sat back down quickly, glad it was over. He hoped that speech was enough to convince the crowd that he was genuinely upset. Hopefully he would not have to keep up the distraught friend act for very long; all of the tears were starting to make his vision go haywire. Harry stayed standing where he was for a minute looking at the wooden casket beside him. He adjusted he glasses on his face and took a step forward.

"I'll miss you Hermione. If it weren't for you then I would have died years ago and I- I can't thank you enough…" Harry broke down. Ginny ran up to him, escorting him back to his chair as he continued to sob into her shoulder. By the time Fred and George came forward nearly everyone was in floods, the air was filled with the sounds of muffled weeps that seemed to reverberate and echo around the grounds in waves of sadness that touched the hearts of everyone present.

"Hermione was special we all know that and we can't say anything that hasn't been said before." said George "She was our best friend, and like our third twin. She was the one who showed us that we could succeed in life and half of our products were designed by Hermione. She will live on in our hearts and we'll never forget her." George finished and looked expectantly at his twin. Fred turned and looked down at the wreath of blossom.

"Hermione never realised how important she was to us all. She never saw how she touched the lives of each and everyone of us. I never got to tell her when she was alive but I loved her with all of my heart. I always have and always will." There was a collective awh from the audience and George looked at him with shock. Evidently he did not know that his twin's feelings towards Hermione were so strong. They sat down in their chairs and Fred started to cry silently, staring at the lake which held so many memories. George sighed and looked up at Kingsley who had risen from his chair and raised his wand. All of the petals that lay on the floor started to float towards him in a great wave of pink, rippling and dancing as they came. Kingsley stepped aside and they surrounded the casket in a rippling, floral cocoon that began to rise into the air. It hovered for a second before it was placed gently inside the open grave. With another flick of his wand, the earth flew into the grave, sealing Hermione's body inside forever more. Kingsley bowed left the stage.

_**Hi guys! sorry this took so long to update but I wrote this chapter on word but didn't have it saved, then my computer spontaneously shut down and I lost this chapter. I rewrote as much of it as I could and will try to add chapter four before Tuesday. Thanks everyone for reading and remember to press that button at the bottom of the page, I think you know which one I'm talking about, and tell me what you thought.**_


	4. Departure

**Hi, sorry for the late update but it's been hectic at school. I'll try and make the next updates more consistent in the future. **

By five pm only a few guests remained, seated at two long tables that stood on the lawn where the silver chairs had been placed hours before. A feast worthy of the Hogwarts elves was being brought out platter by heaped platter, levitated by Mrs Weasley who had retreated into the sanctuary of her kitchen after the ceremony was over to prepare this mountain of food. Most of the crowd stared, awestruck, as the silver dishes set themselves neatly on the polished wood in no particular order. The Weasley's looked on keenly, anticipating the incredible taste sensations that were guaranteed from their mothers skilled cooking. It took the combined efforts of Bill, Charlie and Harry to restrain Ron from grabbing a plateful of sausages that was set a few feet away from him. It took a full ten minutes to get them all out and even then it was a struggle to fit them on the table. By the time they had finished rearranging the sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows over the lawn and illuminating the thirty guests that still remained. Everyone sat in little clumps, with most of the adults at one table and the Weasley children on the other accompanied by some of the friendlier Order members. Mrs Weasley came through the back entrance to the Burrow to tumultuous applause from all who were present. Her face was red and she still wore a stained apron but she looked pleased by the time she reached the head of the tables. She raised her wand and everyone's goblets filled with firewhiskey.

"A toast" she called, raising her own glass "to Hermione Granger"

"Hermione" echoed back to her and everyone began to heap their plates. No one spoke for the next half an hour, too busy polishing off their plates to say a word. After a while the Adult table started in hushed voices but the Weasley's were too busy to listen in. They were all having forth helpings of everything, causing some to stare. Most knew that their appetite was legendary but did not realise the full scale of the amount of food they could consume. Mrs Weasley had sat beside Harry, who wasn't eating much, and she badgered him constantly, trying to sneak extra potatoes on his plate when he wasn't looking. Charlie started talking to Bill and Remus about non-human rights which reminded Harry forcefully of S.P.E.W. He recalled how unsupportive he had been over the years and wished that he had at least given her as much help as she had given him since they had met. Ron and Harry did not say a word throughout the main course, too busy preoccupied in their own thoughts to pay attention to what people were saying to them. They did not even look up when Fred and George let off some of their custom made fireworks that exploded in showers of gold, depicting some of Hermione's greatest triumphs. Everything from her OWL results to the fight at the Ministry of Magic were shown in the summer sky. Everyone gasped and applauded when the final scene of her in the DA showed and the twins bowed, wiping tears from their red and slightly singed faces. When all of the food had been eaten, Mrs Weasley vanished the plates and started back towards the kitchen to start to bring out the desserts. Just as she reached the back door there was a loud crack and she let out a shriek of alarm.

"Minister, what are you doing here?" she asked shrilly. Rufus Scrimgeour had just apperated and now stood in the entrance to the back door looking worn and tired. He was unshaven, his grizzled mane of hair looking wilder than ever. He was a lot scraggier and dishevelled than when he had last visited the Burrow not six months ago. He waved Mrs Weasley away and started forward towards the table where the Weasley children sat.

"It's ok Molly, I just came here to talk to Harry and Ron" he said dismissively. The boys in question stood up.

"What do you want with us?" asked Harry, confused. Why was it always him?

"I would rather discuss this matter in private. If we could just go this way." He said gesturing towards the lake. They nodded and set off, looking back confused. Molly sighed and went into her kitchen followed by Remus and Tonks who had ducked underneath their chairs when the Minister had turned up. The remaining guests continued with their conversations, occasionally glancing over toward the boys who were merely shadows in the bright sunlight. Fred was vaguely aware of Charlie trying to say something to him but he was not listening. He was staring just over Charlie's shoulder at the distant figures of Harry, Ron and Scrimgeour. He did not know what it was but his youngest brother had not been acting as he normally would under the circumstances. He did not seem genuine these days, a shadow of his former self. Fred shook it off as a result of the grief and tuned in to what Charlie was saying.

"…never forgot what you did for me. If you need any help, I'll be there for you." Charlie smiled sadly and Fred gave a small nod. They both recalled the time, several years ago, that Charlie had brought his girlfriend to meet his family. Charlie had been so nervous that Fred had pulled him aside and given him the same motivational talk that Charlie had just given him. Not many people knew about Fred's caring side for obvious reasons but Charlie never forgot how that night, Fred had saved his relationship. If it weren't for Fred then he would never have bought that ring last week. Charlie sat up and walked into the kitchen with the intention of helping his mother dish up dessert.

* * *

"So what do you want with us Minister?" asked Ron when they stopped by a large oak tree, overlooking the lake. Scrimgeour looked around the trees, trying to spot anyone who may over hear them. When he did not see any he said confidentially

"We have recently been able to disclose the will of Albus Dumbledore, I am here to deliver its contents to those mentioned."

"He left something to us?" asked Harry, surprised. He knew that he had spent a lot of time with Dumbledore over the last few years but he had always thought that him mentor would have had other, more important people to give away his possessions to.

"Yes he did. Ahem" He pulled out a scroll from his robes and waved his wand so it hovered at eye level before them. "To Ronald Billius Weasley"

"Me as well?" asked Ron incredulously "Not just Harry". Rufus looked sharply at Ron before continuing.

"Yes he did Mr Weasley. To Ronald Billius Weasley I leave my deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it." Scrimgeour took the small cigarette lighter out of his pocket and handed it to Ron who turned it over in his fingers, awestruck. He clicked it once and immediately the kitchen light went out causing Mrs Weasley to storm out of the house and start berating the twins. They looked around for the mysterious prankster grinning as their mother yelled at them. Laughing, Ron clicked it again and the lights were restored. Scrimgeour looked at him sternly "I am in rather a hurry so if we can move quickly and not have too much childish interruptions."

"Sorry sir" mumbled Ron sheepishly while Harry grinned widely.

"Now our sources tell us that Hermione Granger is still in the muggle world so I will have to stop of their on the way back to the Ministry." Ron felt a twinge of guilt at the mention of Hermione's name and Harry's eyes began to water. He hastily wiped his eyes from underneath his glasses hoping that no one would notice. "What is it Potter?" asked Scrimgeour noticing Harry's expression.

"She's not there." He said quietly. He looked into Scrimgeour's lined face and saw the confusion in his eyes.

"Nonsense boy. We have been tracking her for a while now and she has not stepped foot into the magical world for days.

"Um… Minister." Said Ron pulling him to one side. "I think you'll find…" He indicated the grave that stood a few metres away. He looked at it for a minute and then at Harry.

"When did this happen?" he asked slowly, his gaze fixed on the marble headstone.

"A few days ago. Today was the funeral" Ron said quietly, not wanting to make Harry even more upset. Scrimgeour turned and walked back towards the tree that Harry stood under but still looked at Ron.

"So that's why there was the feast...This complicates matters somewhat." He said, pacing up and down, thinking hard. Ron put his arm around Harry and they walked towards Scrimgeour, wiping their eyes as they went. "In that case, Harry, Hermione was left this." He stopped suddenly and turned holding a small, battered book which Harry took quickly and flicked through the pages. The pages were torn and dog-eared in places. "It's a first addition of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'; I think she would probably want you two to have it." Harry passed it to Ron who gave a start of surprise staring at the book in slight amazement.

"Hey, mum read this to me when I was little." He exclaimed flicking through the pages eagerly.

"You've heard of it?" asked Harry, amazed. He had never heard of it before but 'then again' he reminded himself 'there are as many things I don't know about the Wizarding world as Ron doesn't about the muggle world'. Ron looked up at him, surprised.

"Well yeah, haven't you? All of the classics are in here, the wizard and the hopping pot, Baibbity Rabbity and her cackling stump. You know, all of the old children's stories."

"Babbity Rabbity?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of-"

"If we could continue." Interrupted Scrimgeour, who looked annoyed at the irrelevant conversation that was taking place before him. The boys both fell silent and the minister calmed slightly "Well that just leaves you Harry." Harry felt excited; anticipating what wonders Dumbledore may have given him. He imagined it must be something amazing, some piece of information he had not yet told them or even a means to destroy the Horcuxes. Wild ideas buzzed around Harry's head each more ludicrous than the last as he listened to Rufus say, "To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill." He pulled out the tiny golden ball carefully and Harry's heart deflated. A Snitch? What use would that be on their journey? He angered for a minute, all of that tension for nothing. Ron jabbed Harry in the back and he looked up and saw Scrimgeour start to speak. "Do you know why he may have left you those items?"

"To put out lights" suggested Ron quickly "What else can this do?" he said indicating the deluminator.

"And Hermione loved reading. She'd probably appreciate an original copy." Said Harry, smiling sadly at the grave that was illuminated by the setting sun.

"And the Snitch?" prompted Scrimgeour looking hopeful

"Well." Said Ron, confused. What use was a Snitch to them?

"Probably for the reasons you just read out. Something about perseverance and stuff?" said Harry who was wondering why Scrimgeour was asking a question which he had just read out the answer to in the Will. What other reason could it be? The deluminator was cool and Hermione would have appreciated the book but the Snitch only had sentimental value in his opinion.

"It's just that a Snitch is a very good place to hide something. You know why I'm sure?" He looked at them expectantly but they just stood in the shade of the tree looking confused so Scrimgeour continued.

"Snitches are never touched by bare skin before it is released. Even the maker wears gloves as they are forged. It carries an enchantment so it can identify the first human who touched it in the event of a dispute capture. This Snitch will remember your touch Potter which is why it might follow that Dumbledore, being the magical genius he was, may have placed a spell on it so that it will open only for you."

He offered the Snitch to him and Harry had a small moment of panic. He could not avoid touching the familiar golden ball in front of the Minister. If what he said was true then it was going to open in front of Scrimgeour and there was nothing either Harry or Ron could do. Scrimgeour held out the ball, waiting. Reluctantly, Harry clasped his fingers around it, hoping, praying. The Snitch did nothing apart from beat its silvery wings feebly and Scrimgeour sighed.

"Well that was dramatic." Said Harry and Ron laughing but they stopped quickly when they saw the tombstone, illuminated in the suns rays. Harry took a step forward. "Is that all Minister?" He asked hoping that he could get back to the rest of the Weasley family soon. Dessert had been served by the looks of it and there was a very large treacle tart he wanted to sample. Unfortunately the tart would have to wait as the Mister said.

"Not quite. Dumbledore also left you another gift. The sword of Godric Gryffindor." He was looking bad tempered and irritable by now. Ron and Harry gazed at the his pockets wondering how the sword could possibly fit inside it. However Scrimgeour did not pull out the ruby encrusted hilt of the sword.

"Well?" said Ron suspiciously "Does he get it or what?"

"Unfortunately the sword belongs to the school, not to Dumbledore; therefore it was not his to give away."

"It belongs to Harry!" said Ron angrily "It came to him in the chamber of secrets, it chose him." They stepped forward together attempting to make him see reason but Scrimgeour was having none of it. He whipped out his wand saying,

"The decision has been made. The sword is not Harry's and that is the end of that matter." He angrily, pushing past them and glaring "If you don't mind I must return to the ministry. I need to inform them to stop tracing Granger, we can't afford to waste resources on dead people."

"Well then you should stop covering up breakouts from Azkaban." Yelled Harry, drawing out his wand "People are dying and we were nearly amongst them Scrimgeour. You-know-who killed Mad-Eye Moody, chased me across three counties and murdered Hermione but what do you about it? Nothing!" Ron felt guilt welling up inside him as he saw his friend's passion towards Hermione but then he remembered how she had deceived them, led them along. She was not important to anyone and he would make them all see. They would see, but first he had to prevent Harry from making a fool of himself. "No!" said Ron pulling out his own wand and dragging the advancing Harry backwards. "Don't give him an excuse to arrest us." Ron stared him in the face and he stopped struggling. Some members of the Order had almost reached them and were staring at the scene with wide eyes. Harry withdrew embarrassed.

"You go to far sometimes Potter." Said Scrimgeour in a deadly whisper. "Just remember that you aren't in school anymore. There's a wide world out there and you need to learn respect to your superiors." He brushed past them and disapperated with a pop a few feet away. Harry and Ron looked around at all of the faces that surrounded them. Mrs Weasley stood, shocked in the front of the crowd, clutching a Victoria sponge to her chest and breathing heavily. The long tables were now empty having been vacated just moments before and nearly everyone was surrounding the small clearing where the two boys stood with the exception of the twins who had been sidetracked. knelt beside the grave and had placed a bouquet of flowers on it, cherry blossom, her favourite. Ron looked over at them and felt a sense of delight at his brother's misery. That was what he had been after all along. Harry and Ron walked forward, still clutching Dumbledore's gifts, mentally preparing themselves for the bombardment of questions that would inevitably come. Harry did not know how much they had heard but he knew they would not stop badgering him until they knew everything and more.

He was right. The three gifts that had been bestowed upon them were passed around from person to person. People exclaimed over the deluminator, admired the tales of beedle the bard but no one could offer any suggestions as to why Dumbledore would have given Harry an old Snitch. Most were so preoccupied with interrogating Harry and Ron that no one realised that the puddings had been laid on the table nearly half an hour ago and that Mrs Weasley was constantly casting spells on them to keep them cool. It was nearly midnight by the time Harry had managed to retrieve his Snitch from Lupin, tell Mrs Weasley that he did not want sixth helping of dessert and escape to Ron's attic room. He flopped onto his bed, fully clothed feeling exhausted yet wide awake. He felt around for the mokeskin purse and slipped the Snitch inside to join RAB's locket, the Marauders map and the shard of enchanted mirror. The day's events had left him confused. He had lost his companion, received cryptic gifts and seriously annoyed the Minister for Magic. He was starting to want to get away from it all and start the Horcrux hunt. He felt like he was endangering them, all that he had ever loved seemed to be dying around him. Hermione, Sirius, his parents, they were all gone because of him and he did not want to be responsible for the death of the Weasley family. A small flump from his right indicated that Ron had returned and collapsed on his bed. They lay there for a minute, reflecting on what had happened. Ron could not believe the response Hermione's death had received 'I mean, yeah, she's smart' he thought 'but she wasn't that special. Not after what she did.' He glanced at Harry and seeing that he was still awake said

"We've got to get out of here." Harry rolled over looking relieved.

"I've been thinking the same. There are just too many memories here and I don't want to endanger your family by staying here, what with Hermione-"

"Yeah" said Ron quickly, before his friend started crying again. "And what with mum always being so overprotective, it's suffocating." Harry nodded

"We should go soon, maybe tomorrow after breakfast"

"We could go tonight." Said Ron hesitantly

"Tonight?" asked Harry, surprised.

"If we go to breakfast then they'll never let us leave. And anyway I have all of the essentials packed. Hermione had an undetectable extension charm on her handbag and all her stuff was in it so I kept it." Harry looked admiringly at him "I took out the wand of course, I mean you have to be buried with your wand but, well, she would have wanted us to be prepared."

"I think we should do it now. I can't face seeing everyone in the morning all smiling. I'd hate to see them disappointed when they find out."

"We could leave a note. Then they'd know that we were alright and not to go looking for us." It was settled. They spent the next hour going through the house, collecting all of their possessions that seemed to have turned up in all of the most unlikely places. Harry found the sneakoscope he had gotten for his birthday inside the bread bin with no recollection of how it got there. They put everything they could find that might be useful inside the beaded bag, including all of the food they could find and an old tent they found in the garden shed amongst Mr Weasley's collection of muggle artefacts that they recognised as being the one they had stayed in during the Quidditch world cup. While Ron went through and checked that everything was packed, Harry scribbled a hasty explanation on a piece of scrap parchment. When they had finished they left the note taped to the back door and stepped into the mild summer's night, careful not to make too much noise. They paced together down the pavement, the beaded bag in Harry's pocket, and took one last look at the place they had called home. The odd gnome scurried across the garden, just visible in the moonlight and the tombstone could be seen in the distance, shining like a ghost, next the lake. A figure could be seen next to it lying on the soft grass.

"Who's that?" asked Harry nervously.

"Fred, he refused to go in, said he wanted to say goodbye."

"I hope he's alright, I mean, it must be so sad losing the one you love. It'd be like if I lost Ginny."

"He just needs time." Said Ron looking around. Harry stood there, staring at the grave and the figure beside it before he was broken out of his reverie by Ron shaking his softly. "We should go soon." he said, looking pointedly at his watch. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning.

"Are you ready for this Ron?" asked Harry tentatively. He nodded. Harry and Ron grabbed each others arm and took one last fleeting glance of the place they had called home before they disapperated with a small pop and they were gone.

**So what did you think? Good? Bad? Review and let me know. Thank you to the ten people who have reviewed and for everyone who has added this story to their favourites.**


	5. Pain

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in months. I have re-written this chapter a dozen times from different perspectives but I couldn't find anything that seemed to fit. I had the day off today because of the teacher's strikes so I decided that I should just get on and write it. I hope I did it justice.**

* * *

Once upon a happier time, the Burrow was a sanctuary for the Weasley children. It was a safe house, a place of excitement where no one could hurt them except each other. But with the demise of the Golden Trio came a shadow, a shadow that fell over that house, blotting out the sun and all chance of happiness. The loss of Hermione was enough was enough to ebb the joy from the Weasley's but the departure of Harry and Ron killed it. Dead, that was the only word that could describe that house now. No one laughed, no one cried, no one did anything at all. They just faded like the scent of Mrs Weasley's cooking after a meal. The house just faded into the background and so did its inhabitants. The zombie-like state this induced sucked the life from the place like water down a sink, which was how Ginny Weasley came to sit immobile on her window sill, her hair whipping around her tear streaked face in a halo of orange.

"You have to eat something Ginny." her mother said from the open doorway, crying in exasperation and fear. Ginny couldn't tell. Her numb mind was unable to comprehend her situation. She was only vaguely aware that there was another presence in the room but her mind was dismissing it. She was too absorbed with her jumbled thoughts.

''How could they have left? But they haven't yet, not really. They'll come back for me, they always do.' Ginny was unaware that these snippets of thoughts came out as pained disjointed murmurs that flowed like the breeze coming through the partially open window. She sat there permanently gazing through the window awaiting the return of Harry and Ron which, in the back of her mind, she knew would not happen. But it was not Harry and Ron that she could see but Fred and George lying on the parched grass in a comatose state. All three of them had been shocked into stillness that their family could not snap them out of – no one could. They just stayed there, frozen in time, the living statues of the Burrow grounds. That was, until a day two weeks later, that the crack sounded from outside.

Ginny's reflexes kicked in. She rolled off of the window sill immediately, drawing her wand that was concealed up the sleeve of her jacket.

'Death eaters' she thought fiercely as she crouched cat-like on the dusty carpet peering through a gap between the wall and curtain. She breathed heavily as a hundred different strategies raced through her mind, each more daring than the last. However there was no sign of a black cloak or a masked figure through the window but a shabby man making his way slowly across the Burrow's grounds. It was difficult to make out his form though Ginny could see his mop of greying hair and that he walked with a distinct limp. It left a trail of blood across the grass that glistened scarlet in the sun. Ginny observed the figure moving towards the front door and she rolled onto the landing, peering through the worn banister in time to see the door opening with a bang. Her mother shrieked.

"Who's there?"

"It's just me Molly." Lupin called from the hall. Ginny watched her mother burst in from the kitchen and point her wand directly at the werewolf's twisted face. Lupin motioned for her to lower it but when she did not he sighed and said "Listen Molly, I'm married to Tonks, I'm a werewolf and I gave you my recipe for raspberry strudel last Christmas, now can you help me? This is really painful." He grimaced as he lifted a section of his robes to show Mrs Weasley his leg. She gasped and ushered Lupin into the kitchen leaving a bloody trail behind them. Ginny lowered her wand and got to her feet brushing off her dusty clothing. She reached the kitchen in time to see Lupin's leg before it was obscured in plaster. It was a mangled mess of blood and burned flesh. The skin was stretched and blackened with a small portion of bone poking its way through a rip in his robes. Mrs Weasley made quick work of it. The small bottle of dittany that was normally kept in the small drawer by the oven was almost empty by the time her mother had finished tending to his wounds.

"Can I get you anything? Food? Tea?" she asked from the corner, her back to him.

"A sandwich would be nice, thanks. I haven't eaten since yesterday." Mrs Weasley busied herself with the bread while Ginny watched Lupin rest his leg on one of the chairs around the edge of the table.

"What happened?" asked Ginny from the open doorway. "Did the death eaters do that?" Lupin turned around to face her, suddenly tense. His face was a mixture of stress and pain though Ginny could not work out whether that was due to his leg or the events that led up to it.

"No Ginny it wasn't death eaters." This confused her. Who else would inflict such wounds? She thought. Ginny took a step towards the table never once taking her eyes away from Lupin's lined face.

"Then who-" she asked but she was cut off by Lupin before she could finish. With a great effort he rested his leg on the floor and said something too quietly to be heard. "What?" Ginny sat down and moved closer to Lupin in order to hear. Lupin looked up at her and, his face twisting in pain, said clearly

"Harry and Ron" There was a sound of breaking glass from behind them and Ginny jumped. Mrs Weasley had dropped the plate of sandwiches she had been making. It hit the floor smashed into a thousand pieces but she did not notice. Mrs Weasley walked in a daze and sat behind Ginny in one of the stiffer chairs. Her face was as white as Ginny's and her mouth was open in shock.

"You found them? Where?" her face was agitated as old memories washed over her. Ginny knew exactly how her mother felt. They had both been hit hard by the loss of the Golden Trio from their midst.

"So are they coming home? When will we see them?" asked Ginny her face lighting up in excitement at the thought of seeing her family reunited again.

"I don't think they'll come back here. I only happened upon them by chance..." And he proceeded to explain everything that had happened to him over the last few hours. Ginny listened in rapt silence, drinking in Lupin's every word. Her expression grew steadily more shocked as the story went on and by the time he was finished she was white as a sheet. "…so I apperated here. I couldn't risk St Mungo's; they're refusing to treat half-breeds under their new regime so this seemed the best place to go."

"So they just attacked you like that?" asked Ginny, unable to believe it.

"Yes. They kept accusing me of desertion. He said I was trying to become like Sirius, that I was betraying my family, like that's not what they did to you." He said bitterly. His face grew dark, a shadow of the wolf crossing over it. "I tried to reason with them but they became more and more irrational. In the end I had to hex Harry." He looked slightly ashamed of his actions.

"YOU DID WHAT?" yelled Mrs Weasley, standing up suddenly with a crunch of broken glass. She looked livid. Not even when Fred had blown up the garden shed had she been this furious. Lupin shuffled backwards in his seat. Mrs Weasley was not a force to be reckoned with. Ginny could not help feeling sorry for Lupin though that feeling was smothered by her intense rage at his actions. How could he hex the man she had loved since she was ten? But Lupin spoke again, defending his corner.

"The jinx wouldn't have caused any serious harm. Mine only knocked him backwards a bit, his nearly destroyed my leg." He indicated the dry blood that had crusted over his robes.

"Where are they?" she snapped, ignoring his outburst. Lupin opened his mouth to retort but before he could utter a word numerous cracks echoed through the Burrow's grounds silencing their heated conversation. Ginny looked around for the source of the sound half hoping that it was Harry and Ron coming home. However it was not two teenaged boys she saw through the window. It was half a dozen black hooded figures. The death eaters had come to call.

* * *

The hooded men ran through the woods on the outskirts of the Burrow's grounds, darting between the trees pursuing a small figure a few paces ahead of them. Ginny reacted instinctively. She burst onto the grass; wand raised and ran towards them casting spells as she went. The death eaters did not seem to acknowledge her presence; they were too busy chasing the figure whose dark hair streamed out behind her in the breeze. Fred and George followed Ginny as she ran towards the sea of cloaks. The adrenaline rush had awoken the twins from their comatose state, the immediate danger giving them new strength. Ginny watched delighted as Fred sent a well-aimed curse of his own design into the throng that caused the nearest death eater to erupt into painful hives. She shrieked with laughter as the three of them ran over the crest of the hill and into the trees marvelling at the foliage crunching underfoot. She had never felt so alive. George's stunner sent one of them flying into the nearest tree while Ginny's spell caused the tallest to fall onto the death eater in front of him. They both fell to the floor having knocked themselves out.

"Nice one Gin" said the twins in unison, high-fiving Ginny as they continued to run after the cloaked figures. The death eaters had noticed them by now and were sending random hexes towards the Weasley's but their aim was poor as their focus was on the figure they were pursuing. Ginny and the twins laughed as they dodged, jumped and fired curses in the small woods that, just a few hours before, had seemed cold and depressing. There were only two death eaters still standing but the figure they chased was tiring. Ginny heard her panting shout of 'incarcerous' as the terrain changed from leaves and dirt to soft grass and sand. The smallest death eater crashed into the nearest tree and became tangled in the ropes that now bound him. They all shouted in triumph. There was only one death eater left, this was easy. They were so busy celebrating that they did not notice the last hooded man raise his wand. He sent a flash of purple light that struck the girl in the small of her back.

"NO!" Ginny yelled as the girl was flung fifty feet in the air as if in slow motion and crash onto the surface of the lake. She ran forward barely noticing the man crumple from George's stunning spell. Her thoughts were focused on the girl they had protected, the girl who had fallen. She dived into the cool water and thrashed forward, using the ripples as a guide. She pushed with all of her might ignoring her billowing clothes and her hair that was now plastered to her face. Her brothers were faster. She had just dipped her head under the water when she saw Fred swim past her, his face partially blurred by the bubblehead charm he had cast over himself. She pushed on forcing her way through reeds, kicking aside the odd grindylow and then… She saw them.

They were in a small clearing in the reeds, the dappled sunlight illuminating the multicoloured pebbles that littered the floor and the plants that swayed in the current. Fred had cast a second bubblehead charm over the unconscious girl who was currently entangled in a patch of weeds that he was desperately trying to free her from. Ginny swam forward casting a quick severing charm, freeing her. Fred gave her a brief thumbs up before he swam back with the woman in tow. George suddenly appeared through the rushes and grabbed the woman's other arm and together they made their way to shore.

Ginny's vision began to become hazy around the edges as she watched them go, small dots of light obscuring her vision. She realise in an instant that in her euphoric high she had not given herself any means of breathing. Her lungs burned as she scrambled for her wand and cast her own bubblehead charm over herself. However, in her haste she dropped her wand. 'Shit' she thought as she scanned the floor, attempting to locate it amongst the swirling dirt and pebbles that littered the floors. Ginny placed her hand on the floor and started to feel around. 'A-ha' she thought as she picked up a wand that was lodged between two stones. It did not feel right however. The wand had a friendly, sensible feel about it but it was not the same one she bought from Olivander's six years ago. Ginny realised, with a start of surprise, that this must belong to the woman they had saved. She used it to summon her own wand that came zooming from a patch of reeds a few feet away.

As soon as Ginny broke the surface of the water she could tell something was wrong. She had emerged on the other side of the lake from where Fred and George stood beside the girl's unconscious form. The two were not laughing or smiling, just standing motionless on the wet grass. They seemed solemn even from this distance, concerning Ginny. She could not work out what had caused them to become so sombre unless… She did not want to think of the worse. Ginny ran forward calling out to them but they did not turn or acknowledge her presence. She could feel her clothes dripping, the goosebumps that were creeping up her arms from the breeze but she did not care. Ginny slowed as she drew nearer, closing the gap between them. She was barely a few feet away when she gasped in surprise.

The woman was lying on the soft grass; her eyes closed and face serene as she breathed shallowly through her nose. Her pale features coupled with the light reflecting off of a small locket that rested on her chest gave her an almost angelic glow that took Ginny's breath away. She stared for a few minutes, unable to speak but as the sun was obscured by a small cloud Ginny could see the figure more clearly. She was as wet as Ginny, her clothes and curly hair darkened by the water from the lake and she shivered slightly in the breeze. She had a look of intelligence about her that was oddly familiar. Ginny drew in a breath as her expression shifted between confusion, surprise and shock as she realised when she had last seen this face.

"It can't be" she said in a strangled whisper as she looked at the person she had been sure she would never see again; for there before her lay the unconscious form of Hermione Jean Granger.

**Thank you everyone who reviewed and subscribed to my story. I will definitely upload the next chapter over the next couple of days or so; I've written it on paper already. **

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	6. Suspicion

**One day I will get my life sorted and update my stories on time. Now it's the Summer holiday's (Finally) I might be able to get the chapters updated more regularly now I don't have teachers setting me coursework every five minutes :) **

**Anyway, here's an extra long chapter to make up for the wait. **

Meanwhile Arthur Weasley was having a quiet day in his office at the Ministry of Magic. Apart from the occasional memo related to Mundungus Fletcher and his unlawful ways he didn't have much left to do. He flicked idly through some pieces of parchment but he wasn't really seeing them, there was not much point to start something now. There wasn't a point to doing anything these days. His office was going out of use now. Of the twelve people that worked under him in the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects, seven were suspected Death Eaters and the rest definitely supported You-Know-Who's way of thinking and the new regime at the Ministry. They didn't care if fake protective items were sold; it made it easier for the Death Eaters to kill the innocent who had bought these as a last hope of safety. It was a dangerous place to be for a Blood Traitor and known member of the Order of the Phoenix. Mr Weasley sighed at the thought and glanced around the bare walls. He missed his old office where his muggle posters were fixed to every inch of the room. It may have been cramped but it had suited his personality perfectly. Eventually Mr Weasley fixed his gaze on the small mirror in the corner. He stared into its' depths and contemplated the downturn his life had taken over the last few weeks. He would have to return to his family in a few hours. In a way that was worse than the Ministry's corruption; which was growing more and more evident with each passing day. To see the hollow looks of despair that seemed to be permanently fixed on his once jovial family's features...

A loud noise brought him out of his reverie. Mr Weasley looked up and down the room for the source before focusing his gaze on his belly which was aching with hunger. He stood up, surprised at the persistent grumbling sound that emanated from his stomach. Despite the tragedies that had recently befallen his family, his famous Weasley appetite had not diminished. He got to his feet, moving slowly towards the office door, ignoring the suspicious looks from his colleagues as he went. One of them, Harington, moved to follow him but once he heard the audible sounds of Mr Weasley's hunger he sat back down, smoothing back his blonde ponytail nonchalantly. Mr Weasley ignored them, his only thoughts escape and possibly a large sandwich.

He wondered through the dim corridor, ignoring the stares that followed him wherever he went. It had been the same for weeks, everywhere he went someone was keeping an eye on him. 'They're watching me, spying on me.' Mr Weasley thought before shaking his head. He was being paranoid, he knew it. It had been the same since he had returned to work. Everywhere he went he thought someone was keeping an eye on him. But they couldn't be, could they?

Mr Weasley was concentrating so hard on removing his paranoia that he did not notice Wakanda, one of the members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, making a beeline for him from her office. Her teased blonde hair bounced up and down as she went looking more than ever like an anthill had been stuck to the top of her head.

"Arthur" she said as she went, almost tripping over the hem of her robes. The elderly woman drew level with him and, hardly drawing a breath, starting speaking rapidly. "I was wondering if you had reconsidered our proposal to distribute traceable invisibility cloaks on the black market. I know you said no last week but I feel that they would be beneficial to the Law Enforcement Squad."

Mr Weasley sighed deeply. Wakanda had been pestering him for a month to approve this suggestion that she hoped would boost her career which had been deteriorating since Ministry deemed her to be too old. Ever since then she had been trying to come up with an original idea that might just save her job. So far it had not worked. What she didn't understand, being pure blood herself, was that the people using the black market these days were the innocent muggle-borns who couldn't get supplies any other way under the new regime. She smiled hopefully at him, waiting for an answer.

"I can't approve this Wakanda, as I told you last week. It would be too dangerous and while it may help in the detection of a few criminals, there is a large demand for invisibility cloaks from the public." Her face fell but she gritted her teeth. They were nearing the lift at the end of the corridor by now, the gilt doors looking slightly out of place in the gloom.

"But Arthur, this could revolutionise the way the Department of Law Enforcement works. Think of all of the criminals we could capture using this system." She said in an almost pleading voice.

"You could ask me every day for a year and I still wouldn't say yes." Replied Arthur. At that moment the lift doors opened and they both stepped inside. Mr Weasley faced the elderly woman and said seriously. "I quite understand what you're saying, Wakanda, but I'm afraid I cannot party to -" He cut off suddenly, looking behind the woman's teased hair at the man who was standing just behind her - Albert Runcorn.

Arthur's eyes narrowed in hatred. He had only met Runcorn a few times but both his formidable reputation and work at the Ministry ensured that as long as Mr Weasley live, he would forever hate the man who stood before him. Behind that stupid beard and muscular build lay a coward and Mr Weasley knew it. He had half a mind to leave the lift but the doors were already shutting and before he knew it he could hear the familiar clangs that indicated that they descending to the lower levels. That was not the only sound he could hear. A faint 'plink, plink' was coming from the corner of the lift. Mr Weasley glanced around for the source, trying to distract himself, and spotted Cattermole, one of the Magical Maintenance squad.

"Oh, hello, Reg." he said, taking in the man's sodden robes that were dripping noisily, creating a small puddle around him. "Isn't your wife in for questioning today? Er – what's happened to you? Why are you so wet?" The small man looked up.

"Yaxley's office is raining." He said, not looking at Arthur's face. Mr Weasley dismissed this. Reg had always been a shy man and the Ministry's discovery of his wife's lineage had shaken him to the core. "I couldn't stop it, so they've sent me to get Bernie – Pillsworth, I think they said -"

"Yes, a lot of offices have been raining lately," he replied. Bletchley's, Havering's and Gardener's had had meteorological issues in the last week (and that was just on level two). The Magical Maintenance department had been running around like headless chickens for days. "Did you try meteolojinx recanto? It worked for Bletchley." Reg didn't look into his eyes but his expression changed from fear to relief.

"Meteolojinx recanto?" he whispered. "No I didn't…" Mr Weasley continued to look at the ferrety wizard but he wasn't listening. His mind had wondered over to the bearded man beside him. Runcorn had ruined the lives of many muggle borns under the new regime; it was his job to ferret them out. Innocent people got hurt because of him; innocent people like Dirk Cresswell. The respectable man who was worth twelve of Runcorn was now being carted off to Azkaban because of him. He made his mind up then and there. Mr Weasley was going to confront the chicken.

Before he could the lift doors opened and everyone started to leave the lift. Cattermole darted past him, followed closely by Wakanda who still looked a little affronted. Runcorn made to follow but he was blocked by a tall, red-haired man wearing horn rimmed glasses and who had his nose buried in the papers he was holding. Anger swelled through Mr Weasley as he watched his son enter the elevator. Percy Weasley did not notice the other occupants in the lift. 'Typical Percy' Arthur thought bitterly 'always too absorbed in his work to pay any attention to his family.'

The doors shut with a clang and they descended once again. Percy looked up from the parchment he was holding after a moment and stared straight into his father's eyes. The effect was instantaneous. The young man's face turned scarlet and he inched closer to the lift doors, exiting the moment they became ajar. Once again Runcorn attempted to leave but Mr Weasley threw out his arm. He looked surprised.

"One moment, Runcorn." The man glanced from where the lift doors were closing then back to Arthur's face. Mr Weasley waited until they started to descend before saying "I hear you laid information about Dirk Cresswell." Anger punctuated every word, partially due to Runcorn's selfish and cowardly acts but mostly due to his brief encounter with his son. He would bet a hundred galleons that Percy had no idea of the state that his estranged family was currently in due to close ones who had left them but that was not important now. He continued to stare at Runcorn who was looking at him gormlessly.

"Sorry?" he said stupidly. This only strengthened Mr Weasley's fury.

"Don't pretend Runcorn." He said, letting his rage pour out. "You tracked down the wizard who faked his family tree, didn't you?"

'Dirk Cresswell was a good wizard, Runcorn had no right.' Mr Weasley thought bitterly. Runcorn looked flustered.

"I – so what if I did?" He said in a low voice.

"So, Dirk Cresswell is ten times the wizard you are;" Arthur retorted quietly "And if he survives Azkaban, you'll have to answer to him, not to mention his wife, his sons and his friends -" Dirk Cresswell was a real person and he had real people who loved him and would quite happily curse you for what you've done to the Cresswell family. Before he could finish Runcorn cut him off.

"Arthur, you know you're being tracked, don't you?" Albert said roughly.

'So it's true' he thought 'they are watching me. That explains a lot.' Paranoia filled his mind again but none of it showed on Mr Weasley's face. He stared at the bearded wizard just as coldly as before.

"Is that a threat, Runcorn?" he retorted loudly. The man looked at him sincerely and almost shouted back.

"No, it's a fact! They're watching your every move -" Arthur glared at him, unable to shake off his hatred for Runcorn, as he heard the lift door open. With one last scathing look he left the elevator and did not look back.

* * *

Mr Weasley passed through the golden gates, navigating carefully through the swarm of people. He studied their faces as he passed them unable to ignore the vast proportion that stared at him as he went by. 'Maybe Runcorn was right,' he thought 'maybe they are tracking me.' He glanced behind him with a feeling of trepidation. He veered off to the left and noticed that as he did, three figures that he had not noticed before swerved with him. He tried to look at their faces without attracting an attention to the fact but it was difficult. Their hoods coupled with the poor lighting made it difficult to make out their features. He had to escape.

Arthur made his way towards the fireplaces that lined the walls and emerged ten seconds later from a grimy public toilet. Without wasting time he strode out of the cubicle smiling slightly as he saw the disgruntled look every face of the muggles standing in a long queue. 'Bless them'

Mr Weasley blinked in the sunlight and made his way along the crowded pavement. He looked behind him and, to his horror, spotted the three people he had noticed in the atrium emerging from the toilets – one from the ladies and two from the gents. Mr Weasley hurried forward pushing through the crowd of muggles. There were shouts of annoyance but Arthur didn't pay any attention. He had to get out of there! He turned into a small alley fifty yards from the toilets and ran forwards. It was a dead end! He looked around desperately, trying to find an exit. The door to the disused theatre was slightly ajar and he dived inside, shutting the door as quietly as possible. Leaning against the wall, he stared through a small gap between the frame and the door.

He heard them before he saw them. The crack only offered him a slither of the passage but the sounds of their voices managed to drift over to where he crouched.

"You said came in here." Said a curt voice. It reminded Mr Weasley of the sort of man who had never grown out of his 'bully on the playground' persona.

"That's what I saw." Squealed the other man. There was a crack and a whimper of pain.

"Then where is he." Snarled first voice. He seemed to be revelling at the other man's pain, he barked with laughter as the other man's yelps reached his ear. Mr Weasley watched the flashes of light that shone through the gap in the door then shrank back as his stomach gave an almighty rumble. He froze.

"Shut up you two." Commanded the female and everyone fell silent. "I heard something." Her tone was firm and she was obviously the leader. He edged backwards a little way until he found a curtain that felt damp and disgusting. He covered himself in it, gagging slightly at the stench. He heard the sounds of footsteps moving towards the theatre and held his breath. A loud screech of the iron door opening sounded from nearby and then, without warning, came a blood-curdling scream followed by a roar of laughter.

"It's just a rat you idiot." Yelled the curt man. There was a loud squeak followed by more screams and a long sigh from the woman.

"Shut it man."

"It's just a rat, mate. What's so scary about that?"

"Will you just shut up for a minute?" The woman ordered. "This is going on my report, not yours, so can you stop arguing for once in your petty, worthless lives." The two men fell silent.

"Let's get back to the Ministry," said a gruff voice "Delores will want an update."

Mr Weasley sighed in relief. They were gone. He uncovered himself from the grimy curtain and leaned against wall, breathing heavily. They had to be the worst trackers he had ever come across. Although he had no experience at trying to stalk another human he knew that they should have at least cast homenum revelio. He stood up, brushing off his robes as he went.

"Lumos." He muttered under his breath. The small light illuminated his surroundings and he gazed around, and then jumped back in shock. The room was covered in graffiti and so dirty he was unable to tell what colour the walls had originally been painted. It was not the dirt that horrified Mr Weasley however (though that was enough to give a house elf a heart attack). Underneath the pink spray that declared that 'Jimmy WAS 'ERE' lay the figure of a man, though whether he was alive or not, Mr Weasley could not be sure. Arthur rushed to his side and placed his ear to the man's chest. He was still breathing, only stunned. A Ministry of Magic token lay at his side. Mr Weasley pulled the small wizard over then recoiled in shock. It was Reg Cattermole. 'But it can't be.' He thought 'He was at the Ministry ten minutes ago." Mr Weasley pointed his lit wand at Cattermole.

"Renervate." He murmured. The small wizard opened his eyes slowly then sat bolt upright, looking left and right rapidly. He spotted Arthur.

"What's going on?" he asked is a daze "Arthur, how did I get here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question." Replied Mr Weasley, his tone grim. "I just saw you in the lift at the Ministry."

"What?" said Reg in alarm "But I never got to work today. I was walking to the Ministry then it all went black."

"Then that's not you fixing Yaxley's office."

"No." Reg stood up shakily and started pacing. "And was supposed to meet my wife… Oh my god!" He started moving towards the heavy iron door of the theatre that was still ajar. Before Mr Weasley could stop him, he had wrenched open the door and was sprinting through the crowd of muggles towards the gents toilets. He followed, pushing through the crowd, and reached the bathroom thirty seconds after Reg. Inside was a small woman her dark hair in a bun and on either side of her were two Reg Cattermole's. He stood in the doorway, too stunned to move.

"…But I don't understand…" She was saying but before she could finish Runcorn emerged from a nearby cubicle. He ran towards them.

"Come on" Said what was evidently the real Reg Cattermole. He grabbed his wife's arm and they vanished with a crack. Runcorn reached the other Cattermole and they looked at each other, not noticing Arthur in the doorway.

"We've been rumbled." Said Runcorn and the other wizard nodded.

"What do we do Harry?" asked Cattermole. Mr Weasley looked on in confusion. Harry? But before he could make his presence known there was a sound from the other cubicle. Yaxley emerged, wand raised and murder in his eyes.

"LET'S GO!" yelled Runcorn and, grabbing Cattermole's arm, they vanished, but not before Yaxley had reached out a muscular arm and grabbed the back of Reg's robes. For a second the noise reverberated around the room and then the room fell silent. Arthur stood in the doorway, breathing heavily. Could that have been Harry Potter he had just seen, who had just warned him of the people that were tailing him? Then who was the other one? Could it have been his son? Was that Ron?

Arthur shook his head in confusion. Pulling out a token he stepped into the toilet but leapt out almost at once. His robes were sodden with toilet water. He grimaced. Evidently the Ministry had sealed itself, unsurprising really, considering the major breach it had just incurred. Although he knew his family would not respond to anything he said these days he decided to apparate home to spread the news of Harry and Ron's break in at the Ministry. 'It might cheer up Ginny' he though sadly, thinking of her haunted eyes as he passed her room on the way into work. He shuddered and apparated home.

* * *

He materialised into the Burrow's kitchen and was surprised to find five wands aimed directly at his chest. His wife, Ginny, the twins and, to his surprise, Lupin were sat around the kitchen table in what appeared to be a sort of conference. Parchment littered the table and a wand lay in the centre. On his appearance the five had straightened up and all, with the exception of Lupin, were on their feet. Mr Weasley held up his hands, his confusion mounting.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking at each of their faces in turn. They did not answer. Molly hurried forward, wand still raised, and asked in a cold voice.

"Why did I attempt to hex off your ears five years ago."

"I tried to stop you sending that howler to Ron about the flying car." He replied, smirking slightly as he remembered the incensed Mrs Weasley chasing him around the Burrow, shouting her head off. The crowd at the table turned to look at Molly but she just nodded then threw her arms around Arthur in a hug that nearly crushed all the bones in his ribcage. He hugged her back and used the opportunity to examine the faces of the people at the dining table. The majority of their faces revealed nothing but pain and denial. It was only Lupin's face that differed. He did not look at the embrace, instead glaring at the entrance to the living room like it had personally offended his mother. His wife released him and he looked into her eyes noting her torn expression. The others sat back down and he followed suit looking around the circle, curiosity evident on his features. He sat up a little straighter and, trying not to let his voice shake he said.

"You have no idea what just happened at the Ministry."

"You have no idea what just happened here." Said Ginny. Mr Weasley smiled.

"You go first."

* * *

It took nearly an hour to explain the events that had caused the sudden reappearance of Hermione Granger. Mr Weasley opened his mouth when they had finished, his mind bursting with questions but the others insisted that he tell them what had occurred at the Ministry of Magic. By the time he had completed his story Hermione had been forgotten. Ginny was jumping up and down in excitement but Fred and George remained the same, they were too caught up in their own grief to say much. Lupin and Mrs Weasley looked at Mr Weasley incredulously.

"So, Harry and Ron infiltrated the Ministry of Magic." Said Lupin slowly.

"I think so." He replied. "Why else would Cattermole have called Runcorn 'Harry'? Who else is Undesirable Number One?"

"So they're still alive." Said Ginny, happily. "Are they coming to see us?"

"I don't know." Replied Mr Weasley, unwilling to disappoint his daughter. "Like I said, Yaxley grabbed onto them when they apparated so…" Ginny's face fell and George (or was it Fred) put his arm around her shoulders. They all sat in silence for a moment, their hearts going out to Harry and Ron.

"Anyway," said Lupin slowly, glancing towards the living room once more. "We need to discuss the more immediate issue – Hermione." The room stiffened at once. Fred, George and Ginny glared at Lupin, pain in their eyes. Arthur couldn't work out the source of their fury.

"Where is she?" asked Mr Weasley slowly, trying to ease some of the tension.

"Living room." Said Fred in a choked whisper, barely concealing the pain he must be going through. He tried to speak again but nothing came out so George stepped in.

"They thought it would be best to check to see if it really was Hermione before we woke her up." He said, looking at his father before throwing another murderous glance towards Lupin.

"Look," said Lupin in a harsh whisper "don't blame me for trying to be cautious. You saw her buried, all of you, so how can it be her, how?" He glared at the three Weasley children, his tone accusatory.

Ginny stood up again. "It's her I tell you. How could it be an imposter? No one can disguise themselves that well."

"It could be Polyjuice Ginny." Her mother said soothingly, moving to her side and stroking her hair.

"No, it can't," interrupted Fred "She's been in there for hours and still looked the same last time we checked!"

"Besides," added George "The Death Eaters were trying to kill her. Why would they kill one of their own?"

"And why would they disguise themselves as someone who's dead, how thick could you get?." Retorted Ginny. Mr Weasley looked on in awe at his three children who were glaring daggers at Lupin who was shrinking in his seat, terrified at the combined power of the trio of red heads. Mr Weasley raised his hand and the room fell silent and still. If the situation was not so serious he would laughed at the freeze frame before him.

"I think we should wake Hermione up and see what she has to say for herself." For a second no one moved and Arthur panicked that they had gone back into shock. But then everyone nodded and, without another word, followed him into the living room.

It seemed that the Weasley family's happiness had affected the Burrow itself. The room was spotless as far as the Burrow went though no one had tidied it. Yes the books were piled haphazardly on the shelves and alright the furniture was old and worn but it had that cosy, homely feeling that summed up the Weasley family in one. At least there wasn't any dust or dirt about.

Hermione lay on the large sofa in the middle of the room. Her pallid face contrasted with her red hooded jacket and she lay with one hand hanging down, fingertips stretched towards the floor. Fred darted in front of them and grabbed her hand, shuddering slightly at her icy skin. Ginny and George followed him and stood either side of the sofa like bodyguards, wands drawn. Mrs Weasley remained in the doorway, unwilling to go any closer but Lupin drew out his wand and pointed it at the young witch as Mr Weasley stepped forward. For the second time that day he raised his wand and said:

"Renervate" Hermione spluttered and gasped for a second like she was still drowning and opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling, gasping for air but sat up suddenly, feeling up her sleeve for her wand. Fred let go of her hand as she wrenched it out of his grasp. George put his hand on Fred's shoulder and stood up, joining his twin. Hermione was still searching her sleeve, panic twisting across her face.

"Where's my wand?" she moaned to the room at large without looking up.

"It's here" said Mrs Weasley cautiously from the doorway, holding it up. "Ginny found it in the lake."

"Ginny…" she said slowly and looked over to where the red-head stood beaming at her. She swung her legs off the side of the sofa, wincing slightly, and held her head in her hands, memories flooding back to her. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "They were chasing me and this was the first place I thought of. I didn't mean for them to attack you, I didn't want you to get hurt." Ginny sat on the arm of the sofa and hugged her friend.

"It's fine. It was good for us. You didn't see what we were like after you died…" Hermione looked up, startled.

"I died? She said in a daze and shook her head, trying to remember. "Oh… I remember…"

Mr Weasley and Lupin stepped forward and knelt down beside her on the soft rug.

"We need to ask you about that." Said Mr Weasley softly, looking into her brown eyes that were filled with the pain of half formed memories. Lupin's face was not as passive. He seemed to be bursting to say something. "We need to know -" began Mr Weasley but Lupin could not hold it in any longer though.

"How do we know you're the real Hermione Granger?" He said roughly and the small girl jumped. Fred and George stood behind the sofa protectively. He paced up and down the room, his leg had already healed. "How do we know you're not an imposter sent to kill us all?" He almost shouted. The Weasley children glared up at him and he quieted himself, still staring at the bushy haired girl on the sofa with suspicion. Hermione sighed and pulled at a chain around her neck and drew out a small locket that had been concealed beneath her jacket. It shone in the sunlight coming in through the window, sending glittering patterns on the walls. At the same time Fred and George pulled out identical necklaces from under their robes.

"Only Fred and George and I have these. We made them ourselves in fifth year." She said, stowing it away again. Fred and George murmured in agreement and smiled slightly at the memories. Mr Weasley frowned slightly and Lupin did not look convinced.

"Someone could have stolen that from you." He countered.

"OK" she said. Hermione stood up and walked over to the portrait of the Weasley family that resided on the southern wall. They all noticed as she took it off the wall that Percy and Ron had walked out of the picture. "Can I have my wand back?" she asked to Mrs Weasley who obliged, silently. She took it graciously and started to trace an outline on the wall, murmuring an incantation softly under her breath. Everyone stared as a square of the wall faded in a shimmer of golden sparks and a cavity was revealed. From inside she pulled out a pristine copy of Hogwarts: A History: A Limited Edition and handed it to Lupin before sitting back down.

"Is that enough proof for you Lupin." She asked politely as Ginny smirked.

"Anyone could have looked through your memories before they came here." He replied though he did not seem to believe what he said. Mr Weasley thought that seemed farfetched but Hermione didn't seem to mind.

"Fine" she said. Hermione got up again, moving over to where Fred and George stood behind the sofa. She stared into Fred's eyes for a second then she turned to look at Lupin. "You wanted proof" she said. Before you could say 'Quidditch' Hermione had reached over to Fred and pulled him into a passionate kiss. He responded with gusto causing George and Ginny to wolf whistle exuberantly from the corner. Fred ran his fingers through Hermione's bushy hair while Mrs Weasley shook her head and averted her eyes from the public display. Eventually the need for air was too strong and Fred and Hermione pulled away gasping, each looking thoroughly snogged.

"That's her Moony." Said Fred, laughing at the expression on Lupin's face. "No other girl kisses as good as she does." Hermione laughed and soon the entire room was filled with a laughter that had not been heard in the Burrow for weeks. Fred and George high-fived while Ginny and Hermione shared a relieved hug; Mr and Mrs Weasley were shaking their heads in laughter. Lupin looked on in embarrassment which soon changed to anger. He took a step forward and the room fell silent.

"If you are really Hermione then explain how you are still here." He said, unable to keep it in any longer. He glared at her. "Explain how you're still alive when we all saw you buried in the back garden two weeks ago." Hermione looked affronted but then her expression changed. She brushed off Fred and George as they attempted to follow her and she walked over to the large window that looked out over the front yard. She looked out of it for a minute then focused on her reflection in the glass. Without turning she said to the room at large:

"You might as well sit down. This is going to take a lot of explaining."

**Don't worry Lupin fans, Remus isn't the bad guy of this fic, he's just the cautious one. I'll let him redeme himself in one of the next couple of chapters. **

**So, what do you think of the chapter? Good? Bad? Ugly?**

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	7. Revelations

**Blimey, I never thought I could update a story this fast. Thank you to all of my loyal readers who gave me the incentive to update this story as quickly as possible. **

**Anyway, please enjoy :)**

_Flashback_

Hermione lay in the empty blackness gasping for air. The darkness surrounded her, crushed her compressing her chest and making it more and more difficult to breathe in the stale air. Hermione had stopped screaming a minute ago, aware that if she continued to panic then she might use up all the air in… Where was she? Hermione's brain couldn't function properly; the lack of oxygen was making her head swim. She struggled to get to grips with her surroundings. Hermione tried to sit up but only succeeded in hitting her head on the solid wooden ceiling. It flared with pain making her feel nauseous. Her fingers continued to explore her prison, pulling at a thin material that seemed so envelop her in its soft folds and pushing at the corners of the box she seemed to be in. She strained her normally infallible memory, trying to recall what had happened before she had passed out. It wasn't easy. She gasped in pain as indistinct images passed through her mind like a blurred slide show each image more confusing than the last; her parents packing, a wardrobe falling, a flash of green light.

'Bingo,' she thought as she pushed against the blackness, trying to breakout. 'My wardrobe must have fallen on top of me while I was packing. I'm trapped under it.' To her that explained the strange material that surrounded her. 'It must be my clothes… or is it?" she thought in the gloom, 'I thought I packed those in my bag…My bag!' She felt around her surroundings, tearing at the material, attempting to locate the small beaded bag that contained her life. The search was in vain. She stopped struggling and sighed, resigned to her fate. If she couldn't escape in the next ten minutes or so she would surely die. Her vision was beginning to grow foggy. Even though she was in complete darkness small stars flashed and sparkled around the eyes alerting her to her imminent unconsciousness. Hermione kicked the floor in frustration and started when she heard the sound of something rolling away from her and hit the back wall. It was her wand! She tried desperately to reach it with her foot but it was impossible. Hermione closed her eyes, concentrating hard. She had never performed wandless magic before now but she knew the theory. With all of her might, she concentrated on the incantation.

"Accio," she said as clearly as she could. At first nothing happened but then – Yes. Her wand zoomed into her waiting hand. Her pounding head was starting to make her feel dizzy. She had to get out of there. With difficulty she twisted in her confined space and disappeared with a crack.

* * *

She landed shakily on the familiar cobbled streets of Diagon Alley and immediately collapsed. She crawled into a nearby side street, feeling weak and shaky, swallowing huge gulps of air. She sat there for a minute, head between her knees until the dizziness began to fade then got to her feet. Hermione glanced up and down the street realising almost instantaneously that it must be the early hours of the morning. She could see the apothecary opposite with its small sign proclaiming the shop to be closed. Hermione stayed in the shadows, massaging her temples gently, wincing in pain every now and again. Although it was ridiculously early, the morning sunlight casting long shadows over one half of the street, there were still a considerable number of early morning customers. Glancing to the left and right she noticed the direction they were all headed – Nocturn Alley. She shuddered. Every witch and wizard who passed her had the same sneer on their face, and expression of evil that seemed to mark them.

Hermione shrank further into the shadows as a tall man passed close by to where she hid. His white-blonde hair shone in the sunlight and he was busy laughing at something in that mornings edition of the Daily Prophet. With a final chuckle he tossed the paper carelessly into a bin right next to her and continued on his way. Hoping deeply that he was laughing at the cartoon section and not at someone's death she scooped the paper out of the bin before it could become soiled with someone's half eaten lunch. She moved further into the shadows, rounding a corner and coming to rest leaning against a wall.

"Lumos" she whispered and glanced at the front page. Her expression changed from curiosity to horror as she registered the blow up photo of Harry's face. The image was captioned Undesirable Number One. She was glad she had moved into the darkness. She was unsure if she could have hid her cry of disgust from the group of potential death eaters who walked up and down the normally cheerful shopping alley. She shook her head in slow rage, taking in the ten thousand galleon prize money that was offered for his capture. 'At least that means he's on the run.' She thought as she flipped over to the next page. 'They haven't captured him yet.' She glanced at the headline of the second page and almost dropped the newspaper in shock.

"Muggle-born register," she read aloud quietly so she didn't capture the interest of a sleeping tramp nearby. Hermione scanned the page searching for the relevant information. "Recent research? Stealing magic? What nonsense!" She exclaimed as a gentle, early morning breeze ruffled the Prophet. Hermione turned to the next page a little more forcefully than necessary. She continued to read the paper in this fashion; reading the first paragraph of each page then turning it in disgust as she read about more of the corruption the Ministry was condoning. After ten pages she couldn't take much more. Hermione threw the paper to the floor and pulled her hood over her face just as the breeze picked up. The pages span and Hermione looked at it catching brief glimpses of the other articles. Suddenly she put her foot out instinctively and stood on the paper stopping it on one of the pages. She had just seen her own face printed on one of the back pages. She picked it up and promptly fell back against the wall in shock.

The paper had blown open to the obituary page and she stared at it dumbfounded as she read her name listed amongst the dead. Hermione Jean Granger, 19th SEP 1979 – 3rd AUG 1997. Below her name was a list of comments from mourners. Hermione felt a tear come to her eye as she read the first few then remembered what this was saying. She was dead! Hermione hastily checked the date at the top of the page and started in surprise as she saw it was the 24th of August. Her mind went numb. Hermione tried to make sense of it all but she couldn't comprehend. She strained hard, trying to remember some detail that could explain all of this ignoring the pain in her head. Hermione rubbed her temples, attempting to make sense of it all. She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't. Could she? She started to wonder through the side street, making her way back towards Diagon. Hermione was unaware of her actions. Her mind was too absorbed.

'If I'm dead,' she thought, blinking as she stepped into the bright sunlight. 'Then how am I here? Am I a ghost?' Her mind pondered the idea but the rational part dismissed it at once. If she were a ghost then how could she have touched the Daily Prophet? Tall buildings surrounded her on either side and she made her way through the streams of Death Eaters. They did not notice her presence. She stared at the floor, her red hood covering her unruly brown hair. Hermione came to a halt in front of the vibrant shop front of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. There was not activity inside. The displays were covered in dust, the paint fading and not a single explosion could be heard from within. Hermione stifled a sob as she thought of how she would feel if she lost either of the twins. The grief would be unbearable. Without realising what she was doing, she turned a corner and wondered forwards in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione sighed heavily. 'Poor Fred, poor George.' She thought sombrely as she walked through the brick archway and pushed open the Leaky Cauldrons rear entrance taking down her hood absently. She entered the pub with half a mind to floo to the Burrow. Hermione turned and broke into a run. The bar was empty apart from the wizened old innkeeper who had his back to them and six hooded Death Eaters!

Before she had taken three steps she heard a screech of chairs being pulled back behind her, a shout and before she knew it a jet of light had hit the wall above her head. She pulled out her wand and fired jinxes behind her as she swerved between tables, the men in hot pursuit. She toppled chairs, pushed aside tables in an attempt to slow the Death Eaters down but they just blasted them into oblivion while they continually fired hexes at her from all sides. Tom remained in his place behind the bar wiping a tankard with a grimy old cloth. Either his hearing had become considerably worse since Hermione's last encounter with the old man or he was choosing to ignore the bangs and flashes that were destroying his pub at an alarming rate. She thought it was probably the later. The Death Eaters had Diagon Alley in a state of fear after the death of Florean Fortescue and the kidnapping of Ollivander. Hermione ran past the bar grabbing a handful of floo powder from the pot on the counter. She threw the glittering powder into the grate and the flames turned an emerald green. She dived towards it, metres away, screaming "The Burrow!" as she went.

"Seal the fireplace!" yelled the tallest Death Eater and to Hermione's horror the innkeeper turned and nodded pulling a lever behind the counter. Instantly the flames went back to their original yellow. Hermione rolled to one side to avoid being burned alive by the inferno. The Death Eaters surrounded her, leering down like a cat that had just cornered his prey. She looked defiantly into their faces, took one last glance around the destroyed pub then she twisted on the ground and apparated away.

* * *

"But," Hermione said from her position on the windowsill. She stared out at the sun sinking in the sky. Hermione had not turned once during her narration though she could hear the reactions of her audience behind her. "They had already heard me say my destination when I tried to floo so it was easy for them to follow me." She turned away from the window to look at her audience who were all staring at her in amazement, mouths open. "I think you all know what happened next better than I do." Ginny nodded solemnly looking at the faces of her parents and Lupin.

"So we buried you alive?" asked Mr Weasley, shock evident on his worn features.

"Yes, you did." Hermione replied then continued after a pause. Everyone shuffled their feet guiltily but Hermione smiled before turning to Lupin. "How did you manage to do that? Didn't one of you check my pulse?" Everyone looked from one and other, thinking hard. Their memories were blurred and foggy, marred by the grief and pain that had infected each and every one of them. Had they all been stupid enough not to check? One by one they all shook their heads.

"Kingsley checked though, didn't he?" piped up Ginny from her position between the twins. "He told us that you'd been hit by the killing curse. He checked." This sent another wave of confusion over the congregation. Hermione's eyes grew wide as she absorbed the new information.

"But -" she whispered but couldn't continue. Speculation was one thing but to have the knowledge that she had died was more than she could take, let alone to have been murdered. "I don't remember." She glanced around the room hoping someone would speak up but everyone seemed lost for words.

"If you were hit by Avada Kedavra then…" Mrs Weasley trailed off, exchanging confused glances with her husband who was sat next to her on the battered old sofa.

"But only Harry's lived through that and he had his mother to help." Said George absentmindedly touching his forehead where Harry's famous lightning bolt resided. Hermione reached up to her own face and gasped as a jolt of pain swept through her. Everyone looked up at her in surprise and horror. Lupin stood up from his armchair and moved forward with his wand raised. The others followed him, seeming unaware of what they were doing. Lupin reached forward with his wand and lifted a section of her hair that was obscuring a part of her forehead. Everyone gasped, some whispered and others just pointed in amazement. Hermione looked behind their startled faces at the mirror that hung on the opposite wall and saw what they were looking at. Underneath Hermione's brown curls was a two inch scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. It stood out on her pale skin, scarlet in the light from the setting sun. She stared at it for a minute, mouth open, unable to believe it; then everything went black.

* * *

Fred and George kneeled on the soft rug looking up at the battered sofa where, for the second time that day, Hermione's lifeless form had been placed. George dabbed a wet cloth to her forehead while Fred stroked her hair absently thinking over all that had happened over the last few hours – Hermione had returned, the family had been revived, Dad was being followed, and Harry and Ron had broken into the Ministry – just your typical Sunday at the Burrow. The adults had retreated into the kitchen, casting an imperturbable charm as they went, evidently discussing all they had just heard in private. Ginny was amusing herself flicking owl pellets she had found on a shelf and catching them as they soared back towards.

"So what do you think happened to her?" asked Ginny after a few minute's silence. She got up from her position on the floor and moved over to an armchair. George got up and followed suit, leaving the washcloth on Hermione's sweating brow. He plonked himself in the comfy sofa and Fred, looking up, moved to join him.

"No idea." The twins said in unison, staring intently at the miracle woman opposite them.

"There's no way she could've lived through that." Said George "Yet here she is."

"Yeah, at least Harry had his mum to snuff it for him but Hermione -" Fred trailed off.

"- Only had Death Eaters for company!" supplied George "And the day one of them sacrifices themselves for a mudblood is the day Muriel pays someone a complement." Ginny laughed.

"Who are you calling a mudblood?" said a weak voice and the twins immediately sprang to their feet. Hermione was sitting propped up on her arm, the colour returning to her cheeks. She groaned quietly, holding her hand to her head. "What happened?" Fred ran forward to help her but in his haste stumbled on the small coffee table in the centre of the room. George and Ginny had evidently had the same idea because a second later George ploughed into the back of him and staggered into Ginny. Before long they were just a tangled pile of limbs on the rug. Hermione laughed as the three Weasley siblings tried and failed to extricate themselves from the heap. She got to her feet shakily and placed the washcloth on the sofa before moving over to the three Weasley children. With her assistance they untangled themselves from each other and stood up, still laughing, their faces almost the same shade of red as their hair.

At that moment the door to the kitchen opened and the three adults walked in. They stopped laughing as soon as they noticed the serious expression on the adults' faces.

"Sorry to break this up," said Mr Weasley quietly "But there will be time for laughing later. We need to get to the bottom of the matter in hand." The young adults nodded as he spoke and Mr Weasley smiled encouragingly.

"The problem is that we cannot work out how you managed to survive." Lupin said gravely from his position in the doorway, looking at Hermione with curiosity. Her hair was plastered to her face, still wet from the cloth. Her lightning scar was clearly visible. Hermione turned to look at them all in turn, noting the curiosity on each of their faces. She cleared her throat.

"I have a theory about that." She said quietly, looking at Lupin. She then turned to the twins who were standing just behind her. "Do you still have the book about these?" Hermione held up her locket. Fred and George shared identical looks of confusion before answering in unison.

"Of course," She smiled at them and Fred felt his heart flutter. How lucky had he been to find a girl as perfect as her. For a minute they stared into each other's eyes, unwilling to look away. George cleared his throat, a grin spreading across his pink face.

"Do you want me to get it? I think my other half is a bit preoccupied with over the top fantasies to manage." Asked George, winking. Hermione went red.

"Shut up." Fred muttered and apparated upstairs, returning a second later with the desired book.

Hermione stood up and gave him a quick kiss, taking the book off of him as she did. It was thick and worn but the pages appeared to be intact. She took it from them and started flicking through the pages pausing every now and again. The headings were all embossed with gold and tiny pictures lined the margins. "I think you'd better explain the story of these," said Hermione holding up her locket as she scanned the pages for the relevant information. They nodded and cleared their throats dramatically.

"Well once upon a time," said Fred exuberantly

"In a shop far, far away…" added George

* * *

_Flashback_

George sat behind the counter of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes absentmindedly doodling on a scrap of parchment as he listened to the explosions coming from the basement. The shop had closed for the day and it was just the last few mail orders to deal with before they could sit back and relax. Fred and Hermione were already downstairs, catching up on the production of the new shield hats. '-Or catching up with some snogging.' Thought George and smirked. They were undeniably a cute couple but it was funny the way they seemed unable to keep their hands off each other. He finished his sketch and with a lazy flick of his wand animated it causing the miniature drawing Malfoy figure to dance around the page wearing only a tutu and boxing gloves. He smirked a little at the desired effect and began to open the mail order letters one by one.

This was the part of the day he didn't enjoy – the last half an hour before freedom. It was the same with his classes. It was pointless spending half an hour copying notes about goblin rebellions when you could be transfiguring Snape's bathwater into pickled eggs. He grinned at the memory of the slime ball emerging into the great hall at dinner wearing nothing but a towel and demanding the headmaster to expel Fred and me. He smiled at the memory as he got out a hefty looking folder with the company logo on the front. George flipped through the pages until he found the mail order log. He sat there for a bit, growing accustomed to the repetitiveness of the task he was forced to do twice a week. Opening an envelope, ticking off the relevant info in the log then placing it with its fellows in the OUT tray. He sighed at the monotony then paused as he noticed the Ministry of Magic seal amongst the childish writing asking for stink pellets and wildfire whizz-bangs. Ignoring the rest of the pile, he opened it hastily. 'It'd better not be another bill." He thought, remembering the bombardment of taxes the Ministry had given them over the last few months. He unfolded the thick sheet of parchment then gave a gasp of amazement as a pile of gold showered him from the magically enlarge interior of the envelope.

"OI, LOVEBIRDS, STOP SNOGGING AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!" he yelled bursting into the production room in time to see the red faced couple pull apart. They stared at him for a minute but he just waved the letter up and down in the air and doing what looked like an Irish Jig.

"George is there any reason to why you called us or did you overdose on Pepperup again." Asked Hermione, approaching George warily, remembering the last time he had overdosed on the vile potion. It might be made of pure caffeine but that stuff was evil in large quantities.

"Oi! No I haven't" he said indignantly, still doing his mental dance. "I didn't do anything that bad." His face turned into a pout.

"Oh yes because streaking through Diagon Alley is perfectly acceptable in today's society." Hermione looked at him sternly.

"But -"

"Not to mention the fact I had to drag a naked me out of a tree." Said Fred with an exaggerated shudder.

"Well –"

"I don't think Madam Malkin will ever forget the way you ran through her shop screaming like a banshee, trying on every pair of dress robes you could find," Added Hermione, smirking slightly. "And not just the men's."

"Alright I get it!" George shouted his face scarlet as he remembered the look on Madam Malkin's face. He stopped dancing at once. "Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" Hermione and Fred zipped their mouths shut, still smirking. "Thank you," he said with mock politeness then said seriously. "Look at this; you will not believe your eyes." George opened the letter and held it upside down, allowing the small fortune to tip out onto the production room floor. He caught the letter before it fell and held out the parchment to the others. Hermione took it and almost dropped it in surprise.

"500 orders?" She gasped and handed it to Fred who read intently. George's face grew smugger as he watched his twin's jaw drop.

"For all of their support staff?" he whispered handing the parchment numbly back to George. For a second they stood in silence, taking it all in. Then the production room was filled with whoops and cheers as the three hugged each other in glee. Fred pounded George on the back and Hermione jumped up and down in excitement throwing showers of gold over her head.

"We are back in business." She yelled before pulling Fred into a passionate kiss against the back wall.

"Get a room." George muttered before ducking at the hex that Hermione had sent in his direction. "Or not."

"Come on give her some credit," said Fred after they pulled apart. "She came up with the shield hats after all." Hermione blushed but looked pleased as George knelt before her and started grovelling.

"Oh great goddess of bookish wisdom, I'm sorry if i offended thee! Please forgive a poor befuddled mortal for his transgressions." Hermione laughed as George turned to his twin. "Is that good enough for you Freddie dearest?" He asked smirking over at his twin who was looking on bemused.

"Marvellous." Fred remarked sarcastically and George got to his feet, dusting off his robes.

* * *

_Present_

"So we celebrated with a night on the town" Continued Fred

"As you do" supplied George

"And then we started to try and expand our range seeing how the business was so lucrative."

"Which is how these come in." said Hermione indicating the page in the book. It was headed Ternio Magnus and the illustrations in the margins showed images of people wearing suits of armour. "I found this book -"

"In the library" said Ginny and Hermione grinned.

"Well, yes, but that's not the point. We were trying to find a spell that would give better protection, you know, to expand the selection, and I found this in a book I'd taken out for light reading."

"That's your idea of light," muttered Mrs Weasley, "Harry wasn't kidding" Everyone shushed her.

"Well it had this potion in it that we thought might be our answer, from what we could tell it was very powerful."

"So we made it," said George

"Took half the summer to do it," added Fred, recalling the hours he had spent watching that potion bubble and simmer in the back room.

"It wasn't a potion though, in the end the liquid evaporated and we were left with these three," said Hermione, holding up her locket along with the twins. She handed hers to Lupin who examined it.

"So you made these lockets," said Mr Weasley, his face beaming in pride at what his sons had achieved. Hermione nodded and opened her mouth to speak but George got there first.

"But," George stood up straighter "When we'd finished it didn't work."

"Didn't work?" Asked Ginny quizzically, looking from her brothers to Hermione. "What do you mean, they didn't work."

"Like this," Fred aimed his wand at his twin and muttered. "Stupefy." His brother keeled over and fell onto the soft rug. He murmured the counter curse and George got to his feet lightly, shooting his brother a disgruntled look before saying.

"If they can't protect against a simple spell then they aren't going to be able to help in a duel at all." He brushed off his robes and looked around. "We've just worn them for friendship reasons ever since."

"It seemed fitting." Supplied Fred, grinning at his twin. "Like a little token." Hermione looked up from her book.

"I think they do work, just not in the way we expected." She said slowly, running her fingers over some runes at the bottom of the page. She turned to George suddenly and aimed her wand at his chest. "Crucio" she shouted before anyone could stop her. Ginny screamed, Mrs Weasley gasped while Lupin and Arthur shouted:

"NO!"

George keeled over twitching and rolling over on the rug. "No!" he shouted, "Stop, it tickles!" He started to giggle madly feeling like a thousand tiny hands were tickling every inch of his body. With a smile Hermione lowered her wand and George got to his feet, still giggling like a school girl.

"Why am I always the test subject?" He asked between giggles, swaying where he stood. "You could have done that to him."

"I couldn't crucio Fred," She said grimly, "Remember, you have to mean it and I would never hurt him." Fred gave her a winning smile and Hermione felt her cheeks go red.

"What is this?" asked Lupin, still holding Hermione's locket in his shaking fingers unable to believe the power a small charm could have.

"Protection," She replied "From unforgivable curses only." There were gasps around the room, a few nods and a "Well that makes sense" from Mr Weasley.

"I see," said Lupin, holding the chain to the light. "So it stops the spell."

"In a way," Said Hermione pointing at a section in the book, "It more dilutes it."

"So that's why it tickled when you-" said Ginny pointing from Hermione to George.

"Yes"

"And how you lived," Asked Mrs Weasley, her hand covering her mouth.

"I think so." Hermione closed the book and held her hand out for her locket back. Lupin gave it back, still speculating. "It's the only explanation I can come up with." She placed the chain around her neck and tucked it under her jacket. Fred walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"So what would happen if you tried to control someone?" Mr Weasley asked eagerly.

"Well they'd probably feel slightly light headed; possibly they might have some minor posthypnotic suggestion…" He trailed off; thinking hard, then he glanced out of the window where the sun was casting long shadows over the lawn. His face grew dark. "I have to go," he said and started to pull his travelling cloak around him. "It's a full moon tonight." Everyone nodded in understanding and said their goodbyes. Then he turned on the spot and disappeared with a crack.

"So, these things were useful after all." Said George tugging at the chain around his neck absentmindedly. "Well I never…"

"See," Hermione said with a grin, "The library does have a use." Fred ruffled her hair and the three of them hugged in relief, unable to believe how things had turned around. Ginny laughed and went to join them while Mr and Mrs Weasley smiled affectionately at the scene in front of them. Everyone was safe; all was well.

* * *

"So," said Hermione passing the sausages across the table to Mr Weasley. They were sat around the kitchen table helping themselves to the magnificent feast her mother had procured. Hermione was in awe of Mrs Weasley's talent in the kitchen as she tucked into her own plate of sausages and creamy mashed potatoes. "I've been meaning to ask you," she turned towards Ginny. "What's been happening while I was gone?" Ginny grimaced as she looked into the girls eyes. The edge of her scar was visible through Hermione's hair and it took all of her concentration not to stare at it.

"Well, ever since you died not a lot." Said Ginny quietly, "Harry and Ron left about a week after the Death Eaters killed you and -" But she broke off. At the mention of Ron's name Hermione cried out in pain, the words causing forgotten memories to flash through her mind. All of the memories that she had forgotten were coming back to her all at once. Hermione clapped her hands over her scar as she watched the scene played back to her. She saw him in her mind's, eye Ron. Ron holding a wand, Ron pointing it at her, a flash of green light, Ron killing her! She gasped in pain then forced herself to open her eyes. She looked around the room wildly, unable to focus on anything. Everything was spinning and it took all of her strength not to black out from the pain.

"Hermione, HERMIONE?" Fred was saying but Hermione was barely aware of his presence. She could see their fear, their panic, their shouts but they did not sink into her mind. She could only focus on the memory she had just seen, on that flash of green light. The entire room was on its feet apart from Fred and George who were sat either side of her, trying to help her. Mr and Mrs Weasley were exchanging terrified glances and Ginny had turned white as a sheet. Distant voices swirled through her head, sounding like echoes.

"Is she hurt?"

"What is it?"

"Should we get help?"

She shook her head forcing herself to focus on the here and now, concentrating on Fred's face, on her love for him, allowing it to pull her back to reality. Hermione's mind cleared and she blinked looking around at the terrified faces around her. She realised in that instant what had happened in her absence. Ron had lied to them.

Fred threw his arm around her, "What's wrong love?" He asked soothingly, gazing into her deep brown eyes.

"Can you lot stop crowding her." Said George, Hermione was grateful as she heard the scrapping of chairs as the others resumed their places, listening intently.

"It wasn't the Death Eaters that killed me," She said quietly looking around the room, registering their confusion.

"If they didn't then who…?" Asked Mr Weasley but he fell silent at a look from Hermione. She stared at the others, raising her hand unconsciously to her scar before saying.

"Ron murdered me."

**Uh Oh Ron's in trouble, **

**Don't forget to review, the more people who do the faster I'll upload these :)**


	8. Conflict

**Well another year has come and gone and what a year it has been. I turned fifteen, faced more exams than I have ever had to in my life and unfortunately have been neglecting this story. This chapter is dedicated to all of the people who have stuck by this story and supported me over the last year.**

Hermione rocked back and forth on the Burrow's dilapidated yet water tight roof, reflecting on a happier time. One where the mere sight of the Burrow's grounds filled her with a sense of warmth that she had never come across in any other dwelling (except perhaps Hogwarts), but now everything down to the mismatched cauldrons on the lawn reminded her of the life she could no longer have. Hermione swung her legs restlessly allowing the summer breeze to whip her already bushy hair into a halo of chaos that matched her confused and pained state._ 'How easy it would be to end it all now.'_ she thought, gazing wistfully down towards the blackness of the grass below her_ 'One push and it would all be over.'_ As she thought this Hermione felt her hands grasp the roof tiles tighter, whether to push herself off of her precarious spot or to help keep her balance she wasn't quite sure.

It didn't matter what happened to her now she realised: her death had already torn the Weasley family apart losing her the one crumb of comfort she had been holding onto during her painful ordeal. The Weasley's were the closest thing she had ever had to a family – even her biological parents had never appreciated her magical gifts, often greeting her with fear rather than compassion when she returned home for the holidays. Now she had no one. Hermione winced in pain as she thought back to that agonizing moment at dinner; George's cracked voice, Ginny's tears, Mrs Weasley's furious accusations... It was too much handle even without the ugly scar that marked her for a death that had not come. She gasped as her scar gave another painful twinge as more memories came flooding back, memories that she would rather remained forgotten.

She slumped back allowing the first of many tears to trickle slowly down her dirt smudged cheek, feeling dust become dislodged from cracks between the roof tiles as she did. Hermione wanted to scream, to let out the anguish and hurt that had been building up inside her over the last few hours but she knew that it would do no good. If anything it would only attract attention from the Weasley family who she could hear were still shouting in the kitchen below. She was unable to hear any of the words but her acute sense of hearing could pick out Mr Weasley's quiet reasoning, Fred and Mrs Weasley's shouts and a faint sobbing which could only be Ginny. Hermione felt as if she had just run a marathon, the guilt was eating her alive. Her heart was beating faster than she had ever felt in her life and her breath was coming out in short, painful bursts like that of a choked animal. She wanted them to stop, it was too much for her to take though she knew that she couldn't return to the kitchen, not when half of the Weasley family were out for her blood.

She cursed under her breath. Hermione knew why it was so difficult for the Weasley family to believe her story after everything they had gone through – her death, Harry and Ron's departure and Lupin's leg. It still didn't make it easier to cope when she was forced to deal with her own disbelief at the revelations let alone those of her surrogate family. She shut her eyes trying to blot out the world and the continuing shouts but it was to no avail so she forced herself to open them again and stare at the cloudless sky above her. For a few moments she tried to take her mind off of things by scanning the heavens for her favourite constellations but after reciting them in alphabetical order twice under her breath she could not shake off that feeling of dread that had accompanied her ever since she read her own obituary just twelve hours earlier.

The full moon hung over the lake, illuminating the clear water and the surrounding trees. Hermione felt her breath catch somewhere in her chest as her eyes alighted on the now bloomless cherry blossom trees beside the lake beneath which stood her marble white gravestone. Suddenly the airless feeling of being trapped overcame her once more and she had to blink a few time to remove the feeling of suffocation, whether from memories of the coffin or the lake she wasn't sure.

The full moon reminded her of Lupin and the painful transformation he had undoubtedly undertaken mere hours ago. She wondered dully whether it could be more painful than the way her heart ached for the feeling of sanctuary that she had once felt but that seemed like a long forgotten dream. Hermione smiled bleakly, recalling those happy snapshots of the past that could never happen again; picking flowers in the front yard with Ginny, doing her homework with Harry under the stars or brewing some potion or another in the twins' bedroom. She smiled thinking back to her last happy summer with the twins, standing on the roof a few feet away from where she was sitting trying to conquer her lifelong fear of heights...

* * *

_Flashback_

"I'm not sure this was such a good idea." Hermione clung onto one of the Burrow's mismatched chimneys as Fred and George stood either side of her. They sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. They had been up on the roof for the last hour trying to convince Hermione that there was nothing to be scared of. They had tried almost everything they could think of - from coaxing to threatening. At one point they had even tried to pick her up; George could still feel the bruises forming on his back from where she had kicked him.

"Honestly," said Fred "for the brightest witch of the age you can be unbelievably stubborn." Hermione went red but still didn't move.

"Come on Mione, you were the one that wanted to go into the astronomy tower without feeling like you're going to barf." George said, tapping his foot impatiently but stopped quickly when the tile crumbled beneath his shoe and skittered down off the edge of the roof. Fortunately Hermione didn't notice. She was too busy burying her head into the side of the ash covered chimney.

'Change tactics,' mouthed George and Fred nodded. They moved away from the chimney towards the edge of the roof and stared across the grounds pretending to ignore the frightened girl behind them. "Come on Fred, this isn't worth our time" George said out loud "Who would have thought it Hermione Granger, our bookish goddess, a coward." Fred smiled as he heard Hermione's shuffling footsteps as she looked up and edged cautiously towards where they stood, determined to prove them wrong.

"I guess she isn't worthy of our wit, charm or dashing good looks" said Fred as Hermione came up beside them looking somehow pale despite her ash covered face "Even if she does look unbelievable beautiful in black." Hermione blushed as Fred winked at her before realising what his words meant. George laughed as she reached up to wipe her face only to find that her hand was even blacker. With identical movements Fred and George both conjured a handkerchief from up their sleeves and handed them to her with a magician's flourish. She took them and let out a small giggle before catching sight of the four story drop and turned pale again. Fred looked at her concerned and raised his eyebrows infinitesimally, a signal that the twins had agreed long ago was their cue to lighten the mood. George nodded.

"So should I set all of your girlfriends on fire in future then Freddy dearest." George asked mockingly. "I wondered why Angelina looked cross at the Yule Ball, had you just lit her robes?" Fred smirked at the memory of his date's charred dress and her furious expression as sparklers and whizzbangs continued to circle around her.

"Forgive me for wanting the party to end on a bang! How was I supposed to know that dress robes are highly flammable." He replied indignantly, "We all laughed about it afterwards, when the fireworks had been vanished. Anyway, you can talk, remember when you tried to pick up that fifth year in Honeydukes! Who tries to chat up a girl by saying 'Hi there, you have the same name as my girlfriend.'" George's ears went scarlet but he held his ground.

"Come on, it actually worked!" Hermione burst out laughing, clutching onto Fred for support.

"Touché Forge, touché" Fred shrugged in defeat and clapped his twin on the back as Hermione sat down on the tiles laughing harder than she had in a long time.

"Did you really manage to pick up a girl like that?" she asked as George nodded, wiping away tears of mirth "How did your girlfriend react?" Fred laughed harder as George recounted the short yet eventful tale of Laura Jenkins turning his ears into antlers as he returned to the Gryffindor common room holding hands with Laura Hughes after they'd been snogging in Hogsmeade. The girl had been so furious that she had refused to remove the charm for a week forcing George to walk through doors sideways and watch out for any portraits he might accidently rip.

"Even McGonagall refused to change them back, thought I might actually learn a lesson from it. All I learned is to stay away from people called Laura." George finished as they sat on the edge of the roof, Hermione and Fred either side of him swinging their legs, carefree.

"On the bright side, at least everyone could tell us apart." Fred said as they shared a group high five. Hermione laughed and wiped her eyes. They sat there in silence for a few moments, watching Harry and Ron attempting to degnome the garden which was the worst it had been in some time. Ron turned around after tossing a particularly fat one over the hedge and spotted them perched on the roof. He nudged Harry and they both waved cheerfully. Hermione waved back and smiled contently.

"I don't think heights are so bad after all." She said slowly, smirking slightly as she watched a gnome bite Harry's finger as he bent down to tie his shoe laces. Fred and George grinned at each other and high fived behind her back, careful not to scare her and undo an hour's worth of hard work.

"You know what Gred, we might be able to get her on a broom at this rate." George punched her lightly on the arm and she smiled casually.

"One step at a time boys, one step at a time…" Hermione hugged them both then stood up, pacing back towards the open sky light. "I think lunch might be ready soon, I can smell bacon."

"Oi" The twins shouted in unison and Hermione turned in time to see them pounce. "You aren't getting away from us that easily." They tackled her onto the roof tiles and began mercilessly tickling her, becoming coated in tile dust in the process. Their laughter echoed around the grounds, filling every nook and cranny with its uplifting sound - the ghost of a happy day.

_End of Flashback_

* * *

Those days were over. Hermione started to realise the truth of what the war could do. It had wrenched her from everyone she held near and dear so she felt like a stranger in her own home. The Weasley's shouts were proof enough of that. She winced as she remembered her escape from the kitchen; the accusations, the shouting, her attempts at an explanation that fell on deaf ears. Eventually she did the only thing she could do, run. She had slipped from the kitchen in the confusion relying on their heated emotions to prevent them from noticing her absence. So far it had worked. She had run through the house until she had reached the only place she felt remotely safe – the roof. She smiled coldly at the irony.

It was only then that she realised something was wrong. The shouts that had been echoing up to her for what felt like hours had gone replaced by mutters so quiet that she could not make out who was speaking. This could only mean one thing, they had reached a decision. Hermione felt a sense of trepidation, wondering whether her family would see her as a friend or foe when they eventually found her. She sighed deeply as the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs reached her ears, resigned to her fate. Hermione hoped that if Fred and George had turned against her that the Weasley's would have enough mercy in them to kill her quickly. She did not think she could bare living if she no longer had them at her side.

Hermione didn't turn when she heard the creek of the skylight opening behind her nor when she felt the steady flow of dust against her back as someone came down towards where she sat. She didn't turn when she heard Fred's voice slowly calling to her either or when he sat down beside her.

"Have you come to kill me" she asked quietly allowing the last of her tears to flow knowing she may never cry again. "Or to let me live?" Hermione's heart ached, dreading the response. For a minute he didn't do or say anything. His cheeks were red and his normally jovial expression was now etched with sadness. Then he reached over and hugged Hermione tightly as if he were afraid that if he let go she would disappear. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed scared of what would come next.

"It's alright love, no one blames you." Fred said soothingly, rubbing his girlfriend's back as they rocked back and forth. "Even mum and dad believe you're telling the truth about Ron even if they don't want to."

"They were so angry" she choked out between sobs remembering Mr Weasley's normally calm face contorted in rage. "I think they wanted to kill me." Fred looked at her sadly wishing he could tell her otherwise but the truth was the last few hours had been him and George pleading for her life. Neither parent wanted to believe they had raised a would-be murderer that was now wandering around with the wizarding world's only hope of salvation.

"Yeah, and I wanted to kill them for threatening my girl" Fred tried to lighten the mood. Hermione looked up and smiled sadly unsure whether to believe what she was hearing.

"What happened down there, you were shouting for so long." She asked softly

"More of what you saw earlier. I was so relieved when you got out ok, I've never seen dad that furious before in my life, not even when we turned Auntie Muriel's hair pink at Christmas. He kept threatening you over and over, thought you were a death eater in disguise all over again. Mum didn't want to believe that her son could ever do such a thing for jealousy because she couldn't believe that anyone could be dense enough not to see how much we care about each other." Hermione smiled slightly but then winced, her hand flying up to her scar at the mention of Ron's name. "Are you ok?" Fred asked, concerned.

"Fine," Hermione lied "Just a headache from all of the shouting." Fred didn't look convinced but decided not to press it. She had been through so much over the last twenty four hours that he didn't want to make things worse. Hermione changed the subject. "Is Ginny OK? She was sobbing so hard." Fred remembered his little sister's expression of pure anguish as she sat silently in the kitchen chair and shivered.

"She's calmed down a bit now." Hermione sighed in relief. "We were worried she was going into hysterics at one point. I think Ginny blames herself for all of this because she played Quidditch with me, George and Harry rather than going with you."

"George, Harry and I" muttered Hermione under her breath and Fred laughed softly.

"Same old Hermione, always there to correct our mistakes." Hermione blushed and turned back to stare at the moon above them allowing it all to sink in - she was free.

"So is that it then; am I safe?" She asked slowly.

"Everyone's still a little shaken. Me and George – sorry –George and I defended you as best we could but it's still difficult even for us to cope." Fred trailed off. He could feel the anger pulsing through his veins and balled his hands into fists, thinking of everything Ron had done to them. Eventually he couldn't hold it in any longer. "How could that git do something like that? You're his best friend." He shouted suddenly causing some birds that were nesting in a nearby tree to take flight and for Hermione to flinch back in alarm. "Sorry Mione, I just needed to let it out." She snuggled up to him again realising only then how cold she was.

"I _was_ his best friend." She said slowly looking up at him. "We've always known Ron was the jealous type; I mean look at the Yule Ball. If he had just asked me out in the first place then none of this would have happened – I would never have become friends with you and George, we would never have started dating, I would have never died." Fred opened his mouth to say something but Hermione shushed him. "I also would never have learned to laugh, or pranked a teacher, or have fun rather than spending my life pouring over books and doing other people's homework. I have no regrets"

"It's all my fault." Fred whispered, staring across the moonlit lake and the pearly headstone that marked where Hermione had been buried alive. "If we had just left you alone that day, if I had never asked you out, If I had just told Ron that we were a couple rather than just presuming he knew then – then –"

"Shh…" Hermione said and held him close. "I'm alive now because of you. If it weren't for that locket I really would be dead and buried. You save my life, Fred Weasley, I won't forget that. One day I'll repay the favour"

"Hopefully you'll never have to love." Fred reached down, cupped her face and pulled her into a tender kiss that seemed to last forever even if was only a few seconds long.

"Oi you two, get a room" said a familiar voice from behind and the couple broke apart. Hermione whipped around suddenly, drawing her wand, to see a grinning George poking his head through the skylight. His expression changed quickly to one of terror as he stared up at the deadly weapon she was pointing at his face. "Woah Hermione, it's only me." She lowered her wand much to George's relief and reached down to help him climb up to join them on the edge of the roof.

"I think you'll find that we had a room George until we were so rudely interrupted." Hermione punched him playfully on the arm and George grinned back, relieved to see that she was ok.

"Did you want something Georgie, we were kind of busy up here and I'd like to continue where we left off." Fred wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Hermione turned crimson. George's expression suddenly became more serious.

"Um… yeah actually, mum and dad wanted me to fetch you. They want to apologise." The twins looked at her nervously as Hermione's eyes grew wide. They sighed in relief as she stood up and shook her head to clear it of dust the bits of tile that had become lodged there.

"Thanks George, I'll see you later." She said quietly and climbed back through the skylight. George sat down beside Fred silently swinging his legs unsure what to do or say. They looked at each other.

"You ok mate?" George asked noticing his twin's sombre expression.

"No idea." Said Fred honestly "So much has changed, I'm not sure whether it's good or bad."

"I know. I mean, Ron is the world's biggest prat but this…" He shook his head with supressed rage "I just want to kill him." George said, surprised at his determined tone. "Even if Ron is family I for one know what's important to me and that's Hermione."

"Glad I'm not the only one" Fred smiled slightly. "She needs us." They sat there for a moment both imagining how they could exact their revenge on Ron, each idea more torturous than the last. Just as Fred was fantasising trapping him in a crate with fifty blast-ended skrewts George spoke again.

"Do you think things will ever be alright again? I mean where the worst people have to worry about is our products rather than their own mortality."

"No idea, mate. We can hope though." They slowly got to their feet and made their way back up towards the large chimney.

"Let's see how Hermione is, she could probably use some cheering up." Fred jumped through the open skylight closely followed by George and landed in Ron's now empty bedroom. They paused a moment, both trying to contain the rage that coursed through them every time they remembered what Ron had done, how he had betrayed them.

They emerged into the brightly lit kitchen five minutes later, not bothering to apperate, to see Hermione, Ginny and their parents sat quietly around the kitchen table. There was a smashed bowl in the corner of the room where Mrs Weasley had dropped it and all of the dinner plates were piled messily on top of each other in the corner, uneaten dishes lining the work surfaces. The group were talking calmly enough although they all seemed a little wary of each other. Ginny's face was still quite red and Hermione's eyes glistened slightly in the light. They all looked up just as Hermione was about to hand Mr Weasley a small phial she was holding in a slightly shaking hand.

"How's it going?" they asked together warily taking seats either side of Hermione. Ginny smiled at them contrasting with her tear streaked cheeks.

"Hermione was just giving us her memory of the day it… happened." Said Mr Weasley roughly, staring at the small bottle which would prove his son's guilt. Hermione handed it over to Mrs Weasley while Arthur muttered an incantation under his breath. Ginny jumped when the table she was leaning against started shrinking, becoming circular and slowly filling with a swirling liquid.

"Hey I didn't know we had a pensieve" she exclaimed. Fred and George grinned mischievously at her.

"Dad installed it so he could find out whether we'd been pranking or not." Fred said

"Yeah, if we'd covered up our memories then we were guilty." Added George

"Like we weren't always," They said in unison and high fived. Hermione and Ginny laughed while Mrs Weasley tried to keep a straight face as runes started appearing around the edge of the stone basin.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" said Mrs Weasley slowly as Mr Weasley poured the memory into the liquid and sighed in trepidation.

"We have to know the truth." Arthur turned towards Hermione. "Are you coming with us?" She nodded tensely. They all lined up in silence one by one plunging their faces into the memory.

* * *

When they emerged a few minutes later every one of them had shock and anger written across their faces. Mr Weasley's hands were balled into fists and Fred and George were consoling a sobbing Hermione while resisting the urge to seek out Ron themselves. Ginny went over to her mother and hugged her close. They stayed this way for a few moments, allowing the truth to sink in.

"So he really did it then." Ginny said slowly letting go of her mother and sitting down in her familiar seat by the now re-transfigured kitchen table. "I couldn't have been someone in disguise?"

"No." said Hermione sadly "He answered my security question. Only Ron and Harry know the answer." They all pondered this in silence, trying to come up with a way that meant that Ron wasn't the guilty one but it was no use. Everything that he did afterwards made sense even down to his manner at the funeral.

"Well that's that then." Said Mr Weasley as Molly reached down and hugged Hermione to the point where she would suffocate whispering mismatched apologies as she did. Hermione just nodded silently as her face became redder and redder much to the amusement of Fred and George. Finally Mrs Weasley released her.

"Can you forgive us for what we… almost did."

"Already have." Hermione smiled and went over to stand next to Fred and George who gave her a quick hug. Mrs Weasley glanced up at the Weasley clock sighing as she saw all of the hands were still pointing towards 'Mortal Peril.' She then glanced at the real clock above the door and started in surprise.

"Goodness me, look at the time, I expect you all must be starving." She said apologetically as everyone's stomachs let out a loud rumble. Mrs Weasley hurried to the counter and started dishing out mountains of food onto dinner plates and heating them with a flick of her wand.

"I'll help Mrs Weasley." said Hermione coming up to join her.

"No don't be silly dear, sit down. You've been through more in twenty four hours than most have been through in a life time." Hermione hugged Mrs Weasley and went to join the rest of the family around the table.

"So what now?" asked Ginny pushing aside her empty plate and declining her mother's offer of seconds. "Will things ever be the same?"

"I don't know Gin." Said Hermione and everyone stared at her. "What?" she asked

"Hermione Granger, our bookish goddess, not knowing something." Said George in mock horror

"Quick call St. Mungo's!" added Fred reaching for the muggle telephone Mr Weasley kept on the counter. They all laughed, feeling like a family again.

"Shut up!" Hermione muttered under her breath making everyone laugh harder.

"Seriously though, we need to do something." Ginny said as the laughter subsided. "If Snape is going to be headmaster of Hogwarts and the death eaters are taking over then we need to do something about it.

"For now Ron isn't important" Hermione agreed taking a deep breath and rubbing her aching scar. Even the mere mention of Ron's name was causing it to twinge; she could finally sympathise with Harry. Hermione ignored the pain and continued. "People will die if we sit back and do nothing. I say we restart Dumbledore's Army." People looked up at her some in shock others in excitement.

"But I'm not sure we can. We aren't the same people we were two years ago." said Ginny quietly not looking Hermione in the eyes. "I'm not sure I'm the same person I was last week." Fred and George glanced at his sister surprised before realising the truth of her words. The month's events had taken a toll on all of them and even the twins had to admit that they were no longer the same jovial pranksters they once were. Hermione looked over at the them and noticed their identical thoughtful expressions.

"You're right Gin, everything is different now, everyone is different now and we will never be the same people that we once were. But think of everything we've been through, think of all we've overcome." Hermione smiled at all of them and was relieved to see some of the congregation nodding back at her. "Just because murder changes us all doesn't mean we are any less the people we were last year or the year before. We are stronger than ever and we'll create an army to match." Mr Weasley stood up and raised his glass of firewhiskey prompting everyone else to follow suit.

"Dumbledore's Army" He toasted and everyone followed suit the chink of glass on glass reverberating around the room.

"So what's the plan, Mione?" The twins asked in unison. Hermione looked around the room at all of the faces staring up at her and downed her glass of pumpkin juice.

"Finish your drinks everyone: we have work to do."

**Hey guys, I'm going to end this story here and hopefully post up the sequel soon entitled 'Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting" featuring the rise of D.A. as our favourite trio infiltrate Hogwarts :)**


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